Friday, May 29, 2009

Important Artifacts and... by Leanne Shapton


Important Artifacts and Personal Property from the Collection of Lenore Doolan and Harold Morris, Including Books, Street Fashion, and Jewelry
by Leanne Shapton

Genre: Art, Relationship
Published: 2009
Paperback: 144 pages, Approx 400 Black-and-White Illustrations
Rating: 4

Inspiration: whimsical images on cover caught my eye and USA Today's Pop Candy Blog post

Description from author's site:
Auction catalogs can tell you a lot about a person -- their passions and vanities, peccadilloes and aesthetics; their flush years and lean.In Leanne Shapton's marvelously inventive and invented auction catalog, the 325 lots up for auction are what remain from the relationship between Lenore Doolan and Harold Morris. Through photographs of the couple's personal effects -- the usual auction items (jewelry, fine art, and rare furniture) and the seemingly worthless (pajamas, Post-it notes, worn paperbacks) -- the story of a failed love affair vividly (and cleverly) emerges. From first meeting to final separation, the progress and rituals of intimacy are revealed through the couple's accumulated relics and memorabilia. And a love story, in all its tenderness and struggle, emerges from the evidence that has been left behind, laid out for us to appraise and appreciate.

My thoughts:
In-a-word: Stuff
Who would have thought that a relationship between two people could be described with the stuff they owned. Through pictures, letters and email you can get a good sense of the two main characters. Definitely a book to check out for its unique-ness!

 
Imagination Designs
Images from: Lovelytocu