There is beauty in the mundane.
This appears to be the mantra of Instagram account @onthegroundinmadison, a profile dedicated to showcasing the strangest and most peculiar pieces of lost or discarded items found in the sidewalks, roads and lawns of Madison.
The account functions as an aggregator of pedestrian discoveries, largely reposting photographs submitted by local Madisonians. It has already amassed a respectable following in under a year of operation, with 2,300 Instagram followers on board for routine updates of these discarded treasures.
Cheap date at the bus stop. Thanks to my friend Katherine for this shot. #pizza #busstop #cheapdate #fitchburg #atthebusstop #condoms #wrapitup #pizzaisbetterthansex #onthegroundinmadison A photo posted by onthegroundinmadison (@onthegroundinmadison) on
In some ways, the account champions the peculiar artistry hidden in these largely-ignored scenes. These tiny snippets might go unnoticed by most, but the profile appears to recognize the stories that these objects tell.
It’s fun to imagine how a jar of pickles wound up shattered in the middle of a sidewalk, or why someone would discard perfectly serviceable leftover pizza in a bus station. Were they also the condom user, or did these two artifacts come together by sheer chance? We may never know.
But certain scenes defy explanation:
Next time you stumble across a crumpled can of Kül Premium or a damp pair of basketball shorts mysteriously abandoned in a gutter, consider the poetry within.
There’s a disjointed beauty in sidewalk trash, and it takes a forward-thinking Instagram like this to make us see it.
