The junk drawer is a lonely place.
Some are like The Land That Time Forgot. As in, I haven’t seen a stamp in that denomination since 1975, but I’ll keep it around even though I only use email and online billpay.
Others are more like the Island of Misfit Toys. As in, why did I buy bright pink Hello Kitty scissors when I would not want anyone to see me use them. Ever. Plus they don’t cut right. Ever.
And then there are the drawers filled with the stuff we keep out of guilt. As in, hmmm, this keychain is cheap, blatantly logo’d, plastic, and useless to me, but it glows in the dark and I must keep things like this out of the landfill, so I’ll just shove it in this drawer.
In Richard Gilbert’s book Junk Drawers, he opens these hidden spaces and turns errant thread, crayons, and keys into visual poetry. The photographs are revealing and personal, yet surprisingly universal. This Book of the Week documents the hidden and mundane (I saw a pokemon pencil case and old network cards), and turns them into artful still life. We enjoyed your book, Richard.
Want to see more? He also shows his photographs in and around Los Angeles and Seattle.
