Walking, gathering, and gleaning are ancient and essential activities that inform my explorations of the urban landscape. Feet on the ground, eyes scanning the terrain for materials and images, my movement through the environment is slow and considered. The scavenge reveals things that I have come to expect. Detritus, such as empty cigarette packages and matchbooks, forms a residue upon the surface of the urban landscape—evidence of its inhabitants’ activities. Still there are surprises. Unexpected juxtapositions and the unlimited combinations of similar items found in specific and unique locations abound. The surfaces of these mass-produced packages and wrappers are changing too. Like the walls and painted signs in the urban landscape, exposure to the elements over time weathers their once uniform surfaces. Humanity and nature collide. In spite of intention, chance and inevitable decay leave their mark. The materials and images I collect are the result of numerous transactions—the culmination of many unwitting collaborations between people and forces. Beneath the eroding surfaces of these symbolically imbued images and materials, exist multiple layers of history and content. The urban landscape, artifact, and pop culture are all inextricably intertwined in an examination of shared cultural identity and the urban experience.

Robert Larson