Paul Barnum

  One sunny April day in 2013, I was standing at a bus stop on 7th and Central when I noticed a cool-looking faucet on the side of an old building. I took a photo of it and quickly realized, “these things are everywhere!”  And The Nozzles & Knobs of Minneapolis was born.  I began taking regular trips to different parts of Minneapolis—and eventually Duluth and Chicago—and searching out compelling sprinkler standpipes and energy meters to photograph.  I soon had hundreds of photos in many categories:  Pipes & Tubes, Vents & Fans, Gates & Doors, Meters & Modules, Spouts & Spigots, and of course Nozzles & Knobs.  Oddly enough, Nozzles & Knobs was the first category I came up with and became the title of my project despite the fact that there are fewer photos in that category than any other. What exactly is a nozzle, anyway? I think I just like saying it. 

   What started as a fun diversion soon revealed an artistry easily lost within the simple functionality of an innocuous doorknob or downspout.  What seem like common and boring attachments on homes and buildings can possess an elegance and symmetry often overlooked.  My art highlights the beauty inherent in these fixtures and their surroundings and brings appreciation to the craftsmanship used to create and install them all around us. One thing I will always enjoy is walking slowly through the world and finding new ways to look at it. 

Art-A-Whirl

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Paul Barnum is open on Saturday of Art-A-Whirl weekend.