Many of the commercial products and objets d’art I encounter make me stop and think. I’m curious as to what element of society they’re meant to appeal. I try to envision the designer or inventor at the pitch meeting, explaining why this needed to be produced and distributed. I wonder what the workers on the production line thought when they had to stitch, snap or paint it. Did they turn a blind eye, or did they find this item to be further proof of the inanity/insanity of American culture?

I’d hoped to organize these items into categories, but it’s proving to be difficult. Each piece strikes its own distinct balance of design delinquency, design daring and earnest effort. When each piece is so unique, a pattern or generality is hard to discern. Perhaps that’s what makes these items special.