Past Objects
by Scott Jordan | Photography by J.K. Putnam
markbattypublisher.com
A good friend of mine brought me a brick a few months back that he pulled out of a river in Sleepy Hollow, NY. I immediately ascribed a back story to the brick, most of it conjecture, but some of it based on the research and experience of finding it that my friend recounted. Past Objects by Scott Jordan brings to mind that brick.
In this meticulously photographed and annotated volume, the author documents objects found digging around New York City that speak of a past literally buried underground. The objects found are filled with memories of function and importance now gone. Once unearthed, documented, and presented as lavishly as they are in the book, the things found by Jordan demonstrate an aesthetic value that speaks both of times past and the present.
From the press release: "In the space between archaeology and history stand men like Scott Jordan, a New Yorker who has been digging around the city’s soil for the better part of four decades. What began as a childhood hobby searching for treasure evolved into a way of life that has resulted in Jordan haunting building sites throughout the five boroughs, attempting to recover history before it is forever paved over. Using shovels, mesh sieves, canvas rucksacks, ingenuity and an incredible amount of determination, Jordan has amassed a staggering collection of antique bottles, china, toys, shoes and other items that creates a patchwork historical narrative of New York City and its earliest settlers."
More info here.
Posted by eyer at 12:01 AM. Filed under: product placement
