#SetintheStreet Photographed by Justin Bettman

Council clean up is one of our favourite times of the year, so today’s post really appeals to our inner thrifty sleuth. #SetInTheStreet is both a photo series and public art project by Justin Bettman, an ad-man and artist from New York who is interested in perception and resourcefulness. Riffing off the idea that the city is our living room, Bettman designed and constructed elaborate interior spaces on the sidewalks of New York, using discarded furniture and materials. The sets are incredibly well designed, looking like real homes with a kitsch 1950s domestic aesthetic. Bettman used the sets to shoot his series of photos, which show close-cropped versions which appear to be taken inside a home, in contrast with zoomed-out images which reveal the street side location – a visual surprise that plays on perspective.

After shooting the photo series, the sets are left on the street where passersby can shoot their own photos and share using the hashtag #setinthestreet. “You can see over time as pieces of the set disappear or are added. Watching the scene change over time in the photos shared online is part of the project”, says Bettman. Intentionally ephemeral, the sets eventually disappear thanks to urban entropy – a living room set in Bushwick remained for eight days, while a bedroom set on the Lower East Side lasted only three hours. Partly a social comment on waste, recycling and our disposable lifestyles, and partly a play on perception and perspective, we’re loving the playful yet oh-so artfully executed nature of this project. As they say, one man’s trash is another’s treasure.

Bettman built this set in Williamsburg for Jose Luis, a fan of the series who wrote him a hopeful email asking for help in proposing to his girlfriend.