Junk

a photo essay

It’s Bulky Item Pickup Week. It’s like the whole neighborhood is having a giant garage sale except everything is for free.

Outside by the curb are collections of junk - what some people consider junk, others drive around in pickup trucks and salvage stuff before the big truck comes and grabs it with its robotic arm and loads it in the back.

This pile reminds me of an altar, nicely arranged for an aesthetic effect. It has shape and form, a hopefulness, a tiered presentation

This one is modern art. An ode to randomness.

Some of the collections look like art installations. Some of them are.

My neighbor Bill’s Halloween display. At night it lights up and the skulls go around and around.

Some of them are minimalistic.

Some of them are extravagant, boisterous, full of energy.

I’ve been driving around in my car, listening to the CD player cause it’s the only way I can listen to the old CDs that I just discovered in my storage room that I’m cleaning out. Looking at everyone’s junk is a bonus.

It’s kind of a secret look at the inner life of the inhabitants of my neighborhood, stuff you never see from the outside, stuff they don’t want anymore.

Here’s my assorted bulky items after the good stuff was salvaged, those with possible value - broken hedge trimmers and a chain saw that won’t start and some patio chairs with rotten bottoms. It’s a pretty humble pile.

Here’s a nice looking corner couch, a broken dishwasher and some political advice. “We won’t go quietly back to the 1950’s.”

Here’s an entire living room set almost.

It reminds me of that Raymond Carver story where the husband moves all the furniture out into the front yard including the bed and the TV and everything. “Why don’t you dance?” it’s called. He’s drinking and a young couple come along and see all the stuff and start asking him how much is this, how much is that assuming it’s a yard sale and he plays a record for them on the record player. Hilarious and sad.

Here’s a tidy little pile with what looks like a basket of potatoes on top.

This guy’s got a rock. But I don’t think it’s for pickup.

A floral arrangement with carpet.

Mostly empty containers here.

Failed art projects?

Extra cardboard?

The tipping point.

A very nice collection here. Well arranged, sized and matched. An old Byzantine TV stand from back in the day when TVs weighed 60 pounds.

This is one of my favorites - a pirate ship on a laundry basket. I wanted to stop and play with it. They must have kids.

Well that’s all I got folks. Nothing profound. Just junk. The detritus of our modern lifestyle. What we throw away so we can buy more stuff.

Something cyclical and true about all that. Keeps the economy running ofcourse but it also serves as a system of renewal and a chart or map of our growing. What we have defines us, right? And what we aren’t anymore we discard.

Same as it ever was.

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