Strand海滨

BritishartistanddesignerStuartHaygarthgathersdiscardedoroverlookedobjectsandelevatesthemintoart.Hemakesexquisitedesignsandstunninginstallationsoutofcommondetritusandeverydaywaste.Yethisworkisasmuchabouttheprocessofcollectingandcollatingmaterialsasitisthecreationofvalueorbeauty.ForStrand–theOldEnglishandOldGermanwordfor‘beach’–hewalkedtheentirelengthoftheEnglishsouthcoast，fromGravesendtoLand’sEnd，pickinguphundredsofman-madeitemsleftwashedupontheshore.Combs，lightersandbabydolls，plasticballs，toys，containersandshoeswerejustsomeofthemanyobjectshegatheredonthe450-miletrip.Backinthestudio，hecategorizedeveryitembytypeandcolourbeforearrangingthemintoprecisecompositionsandphotographingthem.Displayingtheformalrigourofthedesignerandtheaestheticeyeoftheartist，theresultingimagesseducewiththeirbeautyandvisualimmediacy.Theobjectsformanarchiveofsorts，afragmentednarrativeofunknownpeople’slives，aswellasamaterialdocumentofHaygarth’sjourney.Buthisbeautifulpicturestellanothertaletoo:thestoryofourrecklesspollutionoftheenvironment，foreachofthesemanufacturedobjectshasbeenthrownawayandthencarriedbytheworld’soceansandseas.Theyaretheflotsamandjetsamofdailylife.