Abstract
So much of our life is determined by things out of our control. We don’t choose the moment in history or where we are born. We don’t choose our race, determine our biological/chemical makeup or choose our family. We are all dealt a unique set of circumstances from which it is almost impossible to escape. What we do have control over is our response to those circumstances. It always helps to start with a clear, objective understanding of the given situation, but after that, our response and choices determine the outcome. Found objects, irrespective of scale, relate to a specific time, and can have a pre-existing meaning, purpose, and logic (deep structure). Unlike most artists who utilize found objects as a cynical alternative to producing an original, unique work, we suggest these objects should serve as a given set of circumstances awaiting our response – an opportunity to express our limited but transformational agency. Work utilizing found objects can confront our troubled history - events that are forgotten or marginalized. Our response can ultimately transform and elevate the meaning of the found object. This paper establishes a history of found objects in contemporary art and attempt to re-establish their meaning though two case studies at radically different scales. First, a sculptural investigation that utilizes the Asian takeout food container and accompanying chopsticks. Secondly, the ruins of a former grocery store in rural Mississippi where Emmett Till allegedly whistled at the store’s white owner and, as a result, was brutally murdered.
Presenters
Torrey TracyAssistant Professor, Interior Architecture and Design, Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design, Arkansas, United States David Baird
Professor, Architecture, University of Nevada Las Vegas, College of Fine Arts, Nevada, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
The Arts in Social, Political, and Community Life
KEYWORDS
Found Objects, Exploration, Sculpture, History, Emmett Till
