Professor Alexander Hollmann investigates these communication systems in his book The Master of Signs: Signs and the Interpretation of Signs in Herodotus’ Histories. Hollmann recounts how signs have been and can be interpreted and considers the linguistic paradigm of sender/sign/recipient. A host of indicators including language, dress, tears, ritual, and objects can be endowed by the sender with meaning for an intended recipient to interpret or decode.

The artists included here use the vocabulary of found objects to communicate an idea, and it is up to the recipient/viewer to interpret the meaning of the sender/artist. Found objects used in art often carry a remnant of a narrative that evokes memories and emotions, and offer an aesthetic that signals a relationship between the art and everyday life. By integrating found objects – whether natural or man-made – the artists in this category uncover a wealth of meaning and metaphoric possibilities.