All Is Not Lost

A wallet on the ground. A single turned-inside-out mitten tucked into a chain-link fence. A paperback left on a bench. These things often go unnoticed—or if noticed, are quickly explained away. Someone must have dropped it, forgotten it, moved on. But sometimes, these objects are transmitting a signal.

“All Is Not Lost” is a series of KDZU’s lost objects placed in everyday spaces. Each object contains a communique, a transmission, a request. It might be a to-do list. It might be the login credentials for a wifi network. It might be a map with a key card. These objects will look familiar, harmless, and boring. They pass under the radar of the uncurious. They sit quietly inside daily life, waiting—until someone, perhaps you, stops, examines, opens, shakes, and realizes they’ve picked up our signal.