I think one of the most enduring characteristics of paper is it's ability to be made into something. It really is so evocative for "the possible"... the blank page, ready for creation. While all paper artisans must surely approach paper in this way, I do love the way Florian de Visser has gone about creating alternate worlds from paper products in the spaces in which he's found them. Imagine being the refuse collector in de Visser's home town of Eindhoven (Holland), coming along to clear the street of all the empty cardboard boxes from shops, and finding someone has created a sculpture from them. It would feel like a gift, don't you think? :)
"My projects are storytelling and always contextual, at any scale level.
The story of the global cardboard cycle and the local stories of Eindhoven that joined the cycle are shown in a circular final installation of white paper scenario models on thin metal tripods, slideshow of the street installations, a soundscape, and me as a storyteller.
With this project I try to show the layers of a city, how a street can unrecognizably change in time, how the meaning of stories can change in no time, but how everything is still connected in some way. I try to trigger people to look with different eyes to the world around them, and maybe understand a little bit better the growing network of stories we’re part of.
."You can find out more about Florian de Visser's paper worlds on his website.
