Photographer Todd McLellan has a series called Disassembly, in which he pulls apart old items found on street curbs and transposes them into works of art — in a very different way. Evidently, all of the pieces were in well-working order, and it is a bit sad that what was once probably a beautiful typewriter is no longer usable, but recreation certainly is a beautiful facet of art.
You can buy a print of the above piece here.
Below, his artist statement on the topic:
In my series Disassembly, I photographed old items that are no longer used by the masses and often found on the street curbs heading for disposal. All of the pieces I photographed were in working order. I found it very interesting that they were all so well built and put together with screws, not glue. These pieces were all most likely put together by hand. I envisioned all the enjoyment these pieces had given many people for many years, all to be replaced by new technology that will itself be rapidly replaced with half the use.
Each piece in the series seems to be taken apart through different stages of life, often flying through the air in disarray, like in a slow-motion video enthusiast’s finest dreams, while others are as neatly arranged as our friend the typewriter.
Visit the “New Work” section of McLellan’s website to see more.
(And it’s highly recommended that you right click on any image and go to “Enter full screen” mode while viewing!)