A wise character on a TV show once said: “Why tip someone for a job I’m capable of doing myself? I can deliver food. I can drive a taxi. I can, and do, cut my own hair. I did however, tip my urologist, because I am unable to pulverize my own kidney stones.” This is the exact same concept that is going on in the photographed objects going on here in this project by artist / designer / photographer Ben Innes. They are called “Separations” and they are exploded objects held up by string and photographed against single-color backgrounds. They make a person understand the nature of the object in a way one, even one who uses these objects every day, does not think about.

Components. Many, many components. I am not capable of making these objects.

Because these objects are complicated, so complicated beyond what even an everyday user understands, made of components created individually in factories and by hand or by nature or whatever else they were made by (elves?), they are valuable. So very valuable. They represent teamwork and sticktoitiveness! And Ben Innes knows this. He is brilliant.

He is also a young master of Pop Art. I know. I talked to him before. He’s the real deal. Everything he touches, people say “oh FRICK I wish I would have done that first, DARNIT.” You know what that means? It means he is a modern artist in the Pop family.

Above and below you will see Ben Innes’ “Separations” collection. He has a similar project called “Tapes” in which he finds significant recordings on tape-related media, takes them apart, and photographs them in a similar manner. In addition to these two projects, Innes has created a one-off book called “32 Separations” in which he collects works from both “Separations” and “Tapes”, wrapping them up in one very formal looking hard-bound book.

To see “Tapes” and other fabulous projects by Ben Innes, take a walk on over to his webpage and click around a little bit. You can also contact him from there if you want, or just email him using this thing right here: mail @ beninnes.com.

NOTE: Ben Innes attended the same college as yours truly, the Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD), during several of the same years, and (thusly?) I must elect to add, on a personal note, that he’s a cool dude.

SUPER BONUS: This project is also posted at GOOD – that means it’s totally awesome, super, officially boss in the lower left of the USA, and has the thumbs up from a real-life in-hand magazine. Strange world we live in.

This post is part of the World Famous Design Junkies deconstruction category.