1

The Act of Collecting

2

The Object’s Voice

3

Whoops, It Broke

4

The Better Mousetrap

5

Plumb Wore Out

6

Taste Changed

7

Owners Lost Faith

8

Owners Lost Interest

9

Owners Grew Up

10

nobody cared

11

Got Lost

12

Part of Something Bigger

13

Used Up

14

Better in the Afterlife

15

A Bad Idea in the First Place

16

Never Made Enough

17

Provisional Utility

18

Made for One Use Only

19

Unintended Survivors

20

Mental Collections

21

So What’s Left?

22

Just in Time

About the Author

From the Author

From the field

From You

« back a bit
skip ahead »

chapter 17

Conceived For Provisional Utility

Taps Crutches License Plate Key Chain Tags Matchbox Labels Social Calling Cards Hot Kinky Business Girl Cards Airline Safety Instructions Jack O’ Lanterns Police Mug Shots

Papier mâché Jack O’ Lantern, 1938. Paint and printed paper, 8" high. USA

Conceived For Provisional Utility ruminates on objects that were designed for the extension of the useful life of another object or to contain, support, identify or instruct, for a limited period of time, after which it outlived its purpose (ex: taps, crutches, airline safety instructions, police mug shots, kinky hot girl calling cards, license plate key chain tags, match box labels, jack o’lanterns).