Robbie and Jo are part of The Lost Property Office, an artist collective who developed a pilot live art event in 2021 funded by Creative Scotland. For all images see HERE

Artists: Robbie Coleman, Elaine Dempsey, Jo Hodges, Kerry Jones, Alison Roberts, Vik Litton.

Performers: Gail Coates, Charlie Mount

The Lost Property Office is an interactive arts installation that takes place in an abandoned building in a town centre and explores the idea of ‘lost and found’ as a metaphor for this pivotal time in our global history. The office itself is ‘set’ in a liminal time, its shelves full of items that have been lost on countless mysterious journeys. Amongst the suitcases, boxes and parcels are ornate maps, a bird cage, a gramophone, a gargoyle, prosthetic limbs and other strange and intriguing items.  Visiting members of the public are each given an item of lost luggage to be opened and explored at their leisure. All the items are micro art installations which explore ideas of ‘lost and found’ in the context of both COVID and broader social and environmental challenges. There are suitcases that have been lost before lockdown revealing journeys that were never made, items that explore lost freedoms, dreams or livelihoods and more widely the loss of species and habitat or the ghosts of the abandoned buildings of our towns. As a contrast, explorations of ‘found’ explore hope, joy, beauty and potential. A lot has been lost but what have we found?  What do we choose to let go of and what do we choose to keep?

Above. Some images from the pilot Lost Property Office in Dumfries. August 2021. For many more images see HERE