Finding the divine in the details—what others overlook—is not so much an amusing pastime, but a constant state of being. When out on a hike, I often stop to question a seemingly meaningless feature. What species of moss is this? Why does this look like a witch’s hat? Who lives in this hole? The answers can be fascinating.
Living in a city, one might find charming little doodads in the gutter and under hedges as well. The metal numbers and letters on telephone polls—what’s the deal with those? In the same week, I found two that had liberated themselves somehow. For years, I’ve been accumulating these letters, or odd bits that look like letters. Some as possible solutions for future typeface projects, others just for the sake of the collection.
Intended to be letters, some come from car logos, refrigerator magnets, and necklaces:
Others are not planned as such, but have letterlike qualities. They used to be earrings, pipe covers, or metal plates:
Some of these, I am absolutely befuddled over what their original use was.
The answers may be fascinating.