A Found Objective
Daily detritus might just be throwing you a line.
Four screw nuts, a tap washer, a Compliance Certificate receipt issued by the Plumbing Industry Commission and a paper plane: the collective find today along my daily walk from Fitzroy to Carlton. Small objects, found on the street; in the park; on the wall; in a puddle; riding the wind. Interestingly, the 4 screw nuts were distributed in single form. Had someone walked exactly the same way with a holed pocketful of these things? Could it be that screw nuts have lost their way and dare I say, done the bolt? Or perhaps all of these objects, obscured from their usual respective domains, have occasioned a synchronicity with me that only the likes of Stephen Hawking or Athena Starwoman could attempt to explain. Let’s put these objects in a clip-seal bag for the moment, label the bag with today’s date and come back to it later.
Finding objects in the street and other public places has long been an occupation of mine. Handwritten notes, wallet-sized photos, playing cards, jig-saw pieces, music scores, maps and plectrums: all frequently found treasures. At the age of 14, the first single playing card appeared on the footpath before me. That was 20 years ago and I now have a found playing-card archive of over 3 full decks. It is not unusual for me to find a Ten of Diamonds in an empty lot of tall dry grass – as was the case in Moorabbin, 2002 – or the Ace of Spades on a muddy walking path by Merri Creek, 2008. Often, I have a sense of the object being near. My eyes will dart about, carving their way towards the precious item amidst the dirt or rain or city lights. Sometimes I pick it up, at other times it’s photographed and left behind. I keep an open mind and a bottle of hand-sanitiser close by.
The Found Object may resonate with a current personal topic or even evoke a course of action. Coming upon a music score on the footpath might intimate the need to listen better or be a little more playful. Finding a sequence of thumb-nail sized hearts under seats on transport vehicles might suggest one needs to book a trip abroad – and yes I did. I even found a Queen of Hearts under the George IV Bridge in Edinburgh and then a Four of Clubs on a window ledge whilst sipping caffè and standing opposite the entrance to the Via Del Amore in Italy. In the case of the playing cards one might divine from gypsy tarot: an Eight of Diamonds in a side street might suggest profit from skill or a lost inheritance.
Divination, healthy curiosity or just plain dotty. Call it as you will. I’m not collecting other people’s rubbish. I am a romantic, seeking poetics and creative spirit in my surroundings. Maybe for you it is a recurring time that you always notice, like 11:11. Or perhaps it’s a number that chimes throughout life. Do we attract these objects or events into our lives, or do we switch on to them as they lay about, waiting to be found? Objects that have become displaced or discarded, dropped out of a bag or swept up off an outdoor table on a fifth-floor balcony – these objects have a story and they have the potential to now lengthen their tale. Just take a peek on the ground every now and then. You never know what you might receive.
Now back to the clip-seal bag. Do the objects have anything to say? Yesterday, I had a discussion about stopping stress choking the stream of the life force. It was a hearty chat and a useful one. Alighting on my walk this morning, I felt revived. I found objects and the objects spoke to me. My screws have been too tight and my pipes needed some attention. The paper plane was the last object I found and speaks for itself. I felt spirited, reconnected. So next time you are out walking, I dare you to look. These objects may be portals for a little happiness and calm, are tinder for a great story, material for an artwork and at the very least, assemble an excellent shoe-box collection.
April 19, 2011