©Brian Fouhy, Be Cool or Get Lost

Grant Gill and I had the pleasure of meeting with Brian Fouhy at the Month of Photography Denver Portfolio Reviews earlier this Spring. His project, Collecting Words, is a conceptual compilation of the verbiage that surrounds us in signage, graffiti, and acts of self expression, feeling a bit like a secret, subversive subtext of 21 century life. Acting as a visual anthropologist, his project speaks to the idea of communication and the recontexualization of words and ideas. This collection of language allows for new connections and interpretations so deftly shared in his book under the same title, Collecting Words, published by New Heroes & Pioneers, and his short videos, some included here.

Brian Fouhy is a photographer and digital concept creator who has grown an international following with his efforts to transform the internet into one big friendly neighborhood with a spectrum of imaginative endeavors. Injecting all of his work with a generous shot of humor, Fouhy offers a unique take from behind the viewfinder of his prolific imagination. Brian currently resides in Boulder, Colorado and travels extensively.

Collecting Words cover

Collecting Words unwrapped

Collecting Words spread

©Brian Fouhy, But I Love Her Anyway

Collecting Words

The words surrounding us every day go relatively unnoticed. The storefronts, graffiti, city signage, and art of which they are a part give them a richer visual experience, opening up the imagination to interpret words beyond their dictionary definition. I have been collecting words and phrases I find for the past 6 years, amassing well over 500 photos.

Wherever I go, I make an effort to see what I can find, most enjoy getting “lost”, which is where the most interesting words are often found. I like best the words I don’t see coming, which I’ll sometimes pass only to realize I need to track back and collect. Throughout this project I have learned that words and objects in the world are more ephemeral than we like to realize. Often thinking we’ll catch it next time, but it is important to remember there may not be a next time, and remind ourselves how important it can be to live in the moment.

The words we see, are the words we read.

At First Site from fouhy on Vimeo.

©Brian Fouhy, Find

©Brian Fouhy, Here Here

Fat & Lazy from fouhy on Vimeo.

©Brian Fouhy, I Will Miss You

©Brian Fouhy, Lady

©Brian Fouhy, Leave Me Alone

I’m Just a Prince from fouhy on Vimeo.

©Brian Fouhy, Memories

©Brian Fouhy, No Place Like Home

©Brian Fouhy, Stay Wild

©Brian Fouhy, Super

©Brian Fouhy, The Future

©Brian Fouhy, Things to Come

©Brian Fouhy, We Sat on The Rood and Listened to The Stars

©Brian Fouhy, Wonder

BOOKSTORES STOCKING COLLECTING WORDS
Barnes & Noble (Boulder, CO)
Bookazine (Bayonne, NJ)
Brookline Booksmith (Brookline, MA)
Chaucer’s Books (Santa Barbara, CA)
Mac’s Backs-Books (Clevend Heights, OH)
McNally Jackson (New York, NY)
Moe’s Books (Berkeley, CA)
Queen Anne Book Company (Seattle, WA)
Skylight Books (Los Angeles, CA)