The concept of what society as a whole finds interesting and may class as a form of artistic expression broadens every decade. Advances in technology don’t necessarily mean art culture is heading only towards digital forms. Sometimes everyday items we have lived with for aeons can be the basis for new concepts to showcase in magazines, books, galleries and of course, online. NEKO takes a look at some bastions of preserved ephemera culture, the wonderfully eclectic FOUND MAGAZINE and the equally diverse POSTSECRET.

The idea behind Found Magazine established itself several years ago when co-creator Davy Rothbart found a note on the windshield of his car in Chicago:

‘Mario, I fucking hate you you said you had to work then whys your car HERE at HER place?? You’re a fucking LIAR I hate you I fucking hate you

Amber

PS Page me later’

The note, mistakenly left by the hot tempered Amber for Davey and not Mario, was the start of an idea that uncovers the pure naive beauty and heartache that can be found in people’s everyday rubbish – scrawled handwritten notes, forgotten postcards, polaroids and photographs, doodles drawn to pass the time...

So intrigued and amused by the now infamous ‘Page Me Later’ note, Davy Rothbart and friend Jason Bitner asked friends to contribute any other similar found items, gathering the best together as a collection of photocopied fliers. After realising they had plenty of material to create something bigger and easier to share with others, they compiled a zine and soon indie bookstores throughout Chicago were stocking the much sought-after Found Magazine.

Growing from a Chicago-based photocopied zine to an internationally available annual magazine – with five issues under its belt and several full colour books – Found proved to be a fantastic success and has developed a large cult following. Collections of love letters, birthday cards, kids’ homework, to-do lists, ticket stubs, poetry on napkins – all appealing as a voyeuristic journey into someone else’s life.

Found even have several issues of Dirty Found, a magazine focusing on the underbelly of found objects, from pervy polaroids and dirty illustrations to raunchy love letters and smutty porn pics.

With society engrossed in countless reality TV shows, it’s intriguing how much we enjoy a glimpse into another person’s life. Maybe it’s our need to prove we are not much different from one another when it gets down to the basics. The Found idea is about sharing heartbreak, joy, sadness, laughter and innocence with no pretension; there is no reality host and editing team focusing on wining ratings, just plain examples of everyday routines. Kids from all different walks of life still have an aversion to homework, work post-it notes read the same, holiday happy snaps are similar in aesthetics. Shared fragments that you can make of what you will.

So next time you’ve lost the shopping list or that bored work doodle, just think, it may turn up somewhere unexpectedly for all to have a smile and chuckle about.

The Found website has a new find updated daily and plenty of previous amusing and interesting finds to keep you occupied for hours – www.foundmagzine.com

Found Magazine is now available locally through Pascalle Burton, who is selling them herself at a very friendly rate. You can also pick up a copy at ouTsideRs club night –- the second Wednesday of each month at Tongue & Groove (the next one is May 14, featuring James Cruickshank from the Cruel Sea). Otherwise email Pascalle at

Another look into the voyeuristic nature of humans and their need to share can be discovered on a website called PostSecret, an ongoing community art project where people mail in their anonymous secrets on one side of a homemade postcard.

What started in 2004 as an art installation in Washington DC soon became a much talked about website visited by thousands. Created by Frank Warren in January 2005, PostSecret has collected and displayed original and anonymous pieces of art from across the USA and around the world. The site began as an experimental blogspot updated every Sunday with approximately 20 new ‘secrets’.  Ranging from shocking truths to secret desires, there is no restrictions made on the content of the secrets, only that they be completely truthful and never been spoken before.

Submissions include admissions of criminal activity, sexual misconduct, embarrassing habits and undeclared romantic affections! Depressing, frustrating, saddening, inspiring and joyous, PostSecret exists as an online confessional in which the whole world can participate.

PostSecret have also released several books compiling selected postcards, available online and through selected bookstores. Some people have even taken to hiding their own postcards in between the pages of the PostSecret books instead of sending them in, leaving an original surprise for the purchaser.

Visit www.foundmagzine.com and www.postsecret.blogspot.com for more.

Be first to comment on this article

Write Comment
Comments are submitted for possible publication on the condition that they may be edited. Poster's IP addresses are logged.
Name:
Comment:
Code:*