Yesterday, I stepped off the bus to see this display directly in front of me. At first I didn’t recognise the white metal outline as a chair and part of me thought it looked like someone had thrown out of a found art exhibit.

When I saw it was the outline frame and shell of a chair, I stopped and stared. I often wonder what people think when they see me crouched down with my camera, observing discarded sights smiling. I don’t care particularly, although there are moments where I pretend to be doing something else if they look like they might start asking questions.

I like the fact that it could be a line drawing and the perspective is hard to gage without it’s seat. The worn out wheel looks completely defunct and resigned to it’s ending.

A wise and wonderful friend suggested to me last night that I could blog in the morning before my hands are tired from work. As I’m attempting to train myself to be an early riser, this felt like a cracking idea!

This morning I took these almost silhouetted photos of a garden chair. Definitely getting the hint summer’s over when garden chairs are skipped!

I have been collecting photographs of discarded furniture for about 4 years now, and have spoken to most people about it. A lot of people have been interested and a few people have glazed over, it’s never going to be everyone’s cup of tea! As a result people have been sending me the discarded seating they see, which I am always hugely grateful and delighted to receive. Here is a slideshow of the many sights my friends and family have sent me:

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Thank you to all who have successfully spotted and photograph these seats!

Last year I went to Summer Sundae and it was amazingly good fun! It was Gemma, Al and I (three go camping) and on the first morning when we woke up there was a commotion. People had broken into the festival overnight using a chair, which they had then abandoned and a crate. For a spotter of discarded furniture, who specialises in chairs, this was extremely exciting!! I got my paparazzi brain in gear and started snapping.

Uh oh, a chair and crate, but why?

Sentenced to removal by security

As I am getting myself ready to go to Summer Sundae again this year (Eeeek!), I thought I would share the photos. I suspect, as there are new rules about allocation of booze, that people might well be hatching plans to smuggle in more alcohol. If you hear a bump in the night, it might well be someone launching a box of wine over the fence!

Whilst in Brixton, London I spotted this pile of sand and other household waste with a sofa on top. It was out of the corner of my eye, as there was a slither of a gap and I held my camera over the top of the fence to get a photo of the whole sofa (as I am too short to be able to see over the top!). I haven’t been anywhere for a long time where I have not seen some kind of abandoned delight.

My friend told me that it’s a house that regularly floods; it must be awful to have to start again every time! I would say it was one of the more uncomfortable looking sofa’s balancing on a pile for dear life which it’s cushions all eschew.

My blog has been trapped on a broken server for a week and a half, and now it’s back! I have missed it a lot, and until now I hadn’t appreciated how much I enjoy it! I have been sent and have seen many a discarded scene and it’s been extremely frustrating not to be able to share them. Here is a slideshow of the delights:

With huge thanks to Ali, Caroline, Phil, Nabila, Simon, Jane, Haydn and Kay.

I have been seeing huge amounts of discarded seating of late and I can’t always photograph them for practical reasons. Sometimes I’m en route to catch a train, other times (as a non-driver) it is tricky/sometimes dangerous to stop the car. Here is a slideshow of the ones I have been able to document in the last month or so:

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I used to find it really disappointing sailing past an opportunity to snap a sofa but I have decided recently that I have to work out my options. I can either enjoy the view and not worry about it with the attitude of ‘what will be, will be’ or I can try to acknowledge them in a different way. I have chosen to write a description down as I see them, even if it’s really vague, just as a reminder. These are the ones that got away in the last four days:

Birmingham, Pershore Road

Front garden, floral two seater with huge amounts of rubble piled on it.

Front garden brown leather two seater, on side outside what looks like a student house.

Birmingham, unknown

Wooden frame of two seater, very unique looking on roadside.

Next to carpark, in grass, upturned red part of a sofa

End of drive, with building materials, a handful of wooden dining room table chairs

Nottingham, Gregory Boulevard

Blue sofa up against a house

Brown upturned in garden

Nottingham, unknown

White dining room chair, outside of door next to tins of paint

I am so lucky to have friends and family that support this project by taking and sending photos of abandoned seating they happen upon. My collection is growing and I’ve got a plan of how I’m going to show them all together. I think it’s going to be a long term project and I’m really excited about it!

With thanks to Ali, Caroline and Haydn.