A permanent new artwork by Julian Germain has been unveiled as part of the £7 million redevelopment of Sunderland Station.
Commissioned by Nexus who operate the Tyne and Wear Metro, 'FOUND' is a poignant photo essay of 41 images sited within the brick bays of the 120 metre wall that faces platforms 1 and 2
The still-life images depict objects retrieved from the lost property office and placed back in the environment of the Metro network - onto the seats and floors of the trains and stations where they were left behind.
On one level the exhibition is a celebration of commonplace things. Recorded in fine detail and enlarged to architectural scale, ordinary items unexpectedly invite our attention, encouraging us to observe and enjoy their surfaces and colours. In addition to this, Germain is marvelling at the capacity of our society to generate so much 'material' while considering our appetites for accumulating such an incredible variety of possessions.
The images in 'FOUND' are also references to people's lives - 'lost property' being the inevitable result of thousands of passengers from all walks of life, making thousands of journeys while carrying thousands of possessions.
We are all prone to lapses of concentration (perhaps because of tiredness, a daydream or some kind of distraction) and it is these that cause us to lose our phones, wallets, keys, shopping or indeed anything that we are carrying. In this sense, the photographs allude to human nature itself.
FOUND is a reflection of our society and of us.
FOUND is permanently sited at Sunderland Station, Athenaeum Street, Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, SR1 3HP, UK
