Found by Laura

If you have ever left behind a shopping list or a personal love letter in a public space chances are some overly curious and creative person might have taken those notes and used them to make art. Laura Sullivan does exactly that.

Laura’s first encounter with an abandoned note was at a Woolworths shopping centre in Carlingford Court. The fact that someone had left behind an itemised list of groceries made her curious to find out just how many notes and lists were out there, not just where she grew up but from all around the world. As she started travelling to cities like New York, Toronto and Melbourne she noticed that the notes were getting more personal and they were laying around in subway stations and city parks. She described this as a “human case study” similar to what an Anthropologist might do.

Originally Laura had planned to keep all these notes in a book, but her friends encouraged her to put them on display. Asked if she would ever consider revealing some of her own personal notes, she responded: “I wouldn’t reveal anything I’ve written personally, but I did write about my own experience of finding these notes and how they made me feel”.

After 12 years of collecting over 400 personal notes her experience of finding these private bits of paper on the ground has taught her that we all have shared lived experiences and also a common humanity regardless of what city you live in. Laura hopes to find some of the note writers by displaying as many of them on social media, but for the rest of us who are curious to see the real pieces, the Found by Laura exhibition is where you can see and read all of the notes she has collected. (DJ)

Feb 16–Mar 5. Sun Studios, 42 Maddox St, Alexandria. Info: www.facebook.com/foundbylaura or Instagram: @foundbylaura

BY DANIEL JARAMILLO