polaroids in books

polaroids in books
Originally uploaded by Dear Allegory

So yesterday i went to borders to release a few ounces of stress between a good friend and shelves and shelves of literature.

Talking with other people proves to always be something that i treasure, because once school starts i will be far too busy to spend time with anyone, much less enjoy a few hours by myself.

While sitting on the floor of the bookstore, i found an interesting thing poking out of the top of one of the books. This particular book was about shoes, and i found tucked in between the pages of fashion forward footwear, Polaroids that had been inserted by a creative visitor.

These types of things always intrigue me, different ways people like to express themselves, and this is obviously one of the ways that this person decided to show something about themselves, and also create a sense of curiosity in the people who found it. Perhaps it was a lonely Border's book slave who delicately inserted the photos hoping to catch someone like myself smile upon finding the hidden treasure.

There are a few other things that i have seen that remind me of this type of experimentation with human interaction.


at the cafe inside my work i have found stranded books laying on the tables, and inside there was a notation instructing the person to read the book and log onto a website to explain what they thought of the book and where they found it and where they are leaving it to be found. I like this idea, hundreds of people reading the same book, and they don't even know each other, Im sure the books travel all over.

also, i have found scraps of paper in the pockets of jeans in different stores with witty or inspirational little quotes written on them. Its almost like the generation of today finds joy in expressing themselves and effecting the people that they don't even know. I really like the idea that we can spread nice emotions without even seeing, meeting or ever touching another person.