In praise of found objects

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Something shiny caught my eye recently on a walk home: a small brassy object balanced precariously on top of an iron gate. A closer look proved it was a solo earring, and a story came to mind. Someone had lost it in the vicinity and someone else had picked it up and placed it in a prominent spot, in case its owner passed that way again.

It got me thinking about how things go astray, sometimes forever, sometimes to be found, either by their owner or someone new. I recognized a tenderness in the gesture of positioning the earring to be reunited – if fortune would have it – with its partner. A stranger was being helpful, even in the face of life's inevitable separations.

Found objects have a poignancy because it's human to pull a few treasures from the ceaseless flow of things around us. In my favourite room at the Art Gallery of Ontario, we see clusters of objects from the studio of British sculptor Henry Moore: bits of driftwood, animal bones, seashells, and other natural bric-a-brac, mixed together with maquettes for sculptures. It takes a while to sort out which is which, proving how inspired Moore was by the small wonders he collected:

A touch screen nearby offers a legend so that you can satisfy your curiosity, but there's pleasure in that state of not-quite-knowing. Another pleasure is derived from the savvy exhibition design. These display cases are across the way from a room full of Moore's full-size plaster sculptures, and you can see their faint reflections superimposed on the items in the cases:

It encourages you to turn around and compare. One moment you're looking at small talismans and miniature sculptures...

...the next moment you're taking in the full stature of Moore's mastery:

You don't need to be a sculptor to make art out of found objects. Just open your eyes to the small things you find pleasing to look at. When something captures your attention, see what happens when you pluck it from its environment and examine it on its own. Then combine it with other things that seem to welcome its company:

Simple display tools, like this acrylic cabinet from Muji, make the moments of appreciation last longer. As you discover what shapes and textures and colours move you, you might find yourself inclined to make larger changes in your environment.

It's a way of returning to the open-hearted state of childhood, when picking up a leaf or an acorn or an interesting stick could be the highlight of a Saturday afternoon. So think of found objects as your doorway to more innocent way of seeing.

And in the meantime, if that's your missing earring on the gate...

...just let me know and I'll gladly share its coordinates. It's still there, as if in an open-air Lost and Found, waiting to be claimed.

Thank you for reading.