Zu Verschenken

(Give Away)

In spring and summer 2020 i collected hand-painted signs from give away boxes on the sidewalks. I noticed an increased number of gift boxes on the streets while strolling through a neighbourhood in Freiburg i. Br. (Germany). Cardboard boxes or old baskets, neatly equipped with various stuff, have been placed both in highly frequented public space (park benches, power boxes) and in front of family homes (garden fences, garage doors). The house residents put their cleaned out, no longer needed things on the street to get rid of them. You can find useful, useless, outdated, new, beautiful, unattractive, […] – actually all kinds of stuff in these boxes, but very rarely broken or dirty trash. People take this seriously. By now this gesture of giving has become an established part of the neighbourly community culture, think a neighbourhood potlatch maybe. The only thing that is thrown away for sure is the box and the sign. I chose the sign and went on.