I walked past this guy in the Farm Boy parking lot (which phrase reminds me of a line in this great song) but had to double-back. What he lacks in beauty, he makes up for in startlement.
Or is it dismay? Alarm?
I don’t know: He wasn’t talking. Neither was the person who left him there, and that’s a shame because I had two questions:
- Where’s he from?
- Where did you learn that it’s OK to throw stuff on the ground?
Isabel – and aside from providing a topic for your blog, what was/is the intended use of said item?
John – It beats me.
It’s an “objet quoi”.
quoi · 1. (interrogatif) what. C’est quoi, ce truc ? What’s this thing?
I had hundreds in my found object collection of 3,308. I stopped wondering what or why and just enjoyed their “isness” — and that somebody had to design and manufacture one of the myriad things we have all around us, many unseen but vital. Is there a metaphor in there?
Barbara – A good approach, I think – just appreciate the is-ness. I sometimes think about all these little (& big) whatzits and the businesses that make them. It’s amazing how it all comes together.
Perhaps this object expresses the points made by Abe Greenwald in your marginal reference to his article from The Free Press: dismay at excess with no easy solutions towards meaningful lives that would find moral reasons for not littering with plastics. Greenwald may not touch all the bases, but his analysis of the French riots is illuminating. His ability to place similar events in other places in a global context is also helpful.
And I love the comment from Pete Seeger about songs. Perhaps what the world needs now is the right song.
Laurna – We’re in trouble if even inanimate objects are moved to shout out. 🙂 As for Greenwald’s article, I too appreciate writers who know things and can put other things in context that I lack. As for Pete Seeger, this morning I heard a version of Oh, Freedom by Harry Belafonte: here.
I think it’s a nouveau piece of art modelled after The Scream.
Ken – Ah, perhaps. Given its placement, I assume this is also my tax dollars at work. At least I’m getting something out of this expenditure on public art!
… or a reaction to The Scream, caught in plastic.
Barbara – Maybe we need to start a themed exhibit for great (or well-known, anyway) pieces of art: Fellow Feeling in Plastic.
ET? If so, it’s time to come home.
Tom
Tom – LOL. Indeed.
Two things.
As to purpose, I believe it’s the cover on the plug-in end of a plug-in cord.
And I agree…I can’t imagine people were TAUGHT that it’s okay to roll down the window and throw their trash out onto the verge….
Mary – That’s a pretty big plug…. You can’t tell from the photo but it was about 3 inches tall. But I’ve heard no better suggestions, so I expect you’re right. As for being taught, goodness, I hope not.