Don't feel sorry for the lamp, it has no feelings

Most people who know me know of my strong distaste for contemporary art. I think often artists reap too much credit for producing something weird. Despite looking unconventional, it’s stale and unimaginative – being off-beat for the express purpose of being strange is no more creative than producing a watercolor paint-by-numbers masterpiece.

But this is something different. Rune Guneriussen is a Norwegian photographer whose subjects are household objects placed in natural settings. This juxtaposition of man-made versus natural is inherently somewhat interesting to me. These are not, however, just photos of objects strewn about. Guneriussen transforms each into a fairly profound expression of human emotion. This artistic anthropomorphism allows a cluster of lamps to evoke the feelings of an arduous trek and a pair of chairs to take on the characteristics of an epic battle for supremacy. This reminds me of the movie The Brave Little Toaster or of those old Ikea commercials that scold you for feeling sorry for abandoned furniture.

It’s a treat to click through Guneriussen’s website and look at the different shots. I’ve pasted two of my favorites below – one is the aforementioned journeying lamps, the other a “campfire” scene that makes me yearn for similar camaraderie.

© Rune Guneriussen