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I have a huge bowl filled to the brim with pistachio shells that I really like. The backsplash on one kitchen counter is a wall of cat food can lids, climbing over each other like scales of a fish. There is a large stack of aluminum ladders that I’ve become attached to. There are several more unintentional
examples of AAA around here but these three should make the registry easily.
I’m sure you have an amount or informal collection of something, a physical record put together over a period of time, that appeals to you in a familiar, satisfying way. Could be anything that grew like a stalagmite over time. Something that gained agency by virtue of its staying power, like a large wooden box of generator parts or a matchbox full of cobalt sea glass shards. If you look around you will find an example of AAA. Not all will make it into the Registry.
Not a collection, not a work per se, and not meant to make a point or illustrate some theory or opinion. Some stuff is just there. You may find meaning in some AAA but that is accidental and ephemeral. Much AAA is noticed briefly and then the subject of a blank stare.
You don’t have to be the ‘creator’ of the AAA; an AAA can be discovered by anyone, photographed and submitted for inclusion in the Registry. The Registry will accept photos of AAA for review and incorporation into the Registry, giving these examples far more attention, nay reverence, than they are actually due.
Midden
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midden
The technical name for what you are describing is a "midden". [pocmloc, Dec 13 2024]
[link]
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This is basically what archaeologists do. |
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A midden could possibly be an AAA, but very few middens are AAAs, and even fewer have attained Registry status. When a pile evolves into a midden the result is usually chaotic and lacking layers or cohesion. It’s a dump. |
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Dumps do not qualify for Registry candidacy. |
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A midden that qualifies for Registry candidacy has some other quality that the Registry committee finds engaging; content, color, homogeneity, container, strangeness, etc. Smell does not figure into the decision. |
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No - ask any archaeologist, a midden has complex layers of stratigraphy and rich internal structure. |
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And the "register" already exists in the form of the published archaeological literature. |
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This is a long-overdue TimeLord discussion happening here in the comments. Bravo!
Here's a thought: |
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Q. What's the job title of the person who discovers an AAA, before it's covered with dirt? |
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[minoradjustments]' idea has merit because it is attempting to document archaeology *before* it happens. [+] |
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I'm wondering about the possibility of /ascending/ an AAA. |
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For example, that catfood can-lid backsplash is presumably performing a useful purpose, keeping water inside the sink. I would assume you had to wash the lids and stack them appropriately to get that to work. |
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And you could do something with those pistachio shells. Maybe not all of them, but for example if they look aesthetic, could you use them as a component in a layer of epoxy resin, in e.g. a table, or something? I guess you might have to give them a good wash first. |
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I have a number of AAA myself, and I'm always looking to use them for something. |
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You know that this just begs for someone to create the first Accidental Accretion Artaholics Anonymous group. |
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Archaeology, shmarchaeology. This is happening in my kitchen and is totally undocumented. Maybe that's a good thing. |
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I take your art project suggestions seriously, Loris, but anything like that would be too intentional to qualify. The cat food lids just started by themselves to the right of the sink, on the wall under the magnetic tool bar. I just did not turn around and hit the bin. The second one joined it and it was off. I played an unconscious, unintentional creator, watching as it climbed the wall behind the peelers and tongs. It serves no purpose for me, but maybe the wildlife enjoy it. |
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I consulted with the pistachio shells and they, in their multitude, voted to stay in the bowl. |
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I had a 'collection' of wine corks in a large glass bottle, intending to glue them to a backer and use it with pushpins. That part never happened but the bottle does qualify for application to the RoAAA by virtue of its unintentional nature, considered completely separately from the eventual goal of the pin board. Caught in limbo between wine and notices for puppies. Perfect candidate. I can't find that bottle now, though. |
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[pocmloc] A midden, or part of a midden, could qualify as an AAA if it was found in the huge detached bucket of an abandoned backhoe, showing the beautiful garbage layers off to best advantage. |
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In this case the accidental sampling and the monumental display container would certainly make up for the lack of perspective when viewing an entire midden, because they do look like dumps. |
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An application was just received from a British applicant who submits a 15+ tangle of what he says are 'bed keys.' He's getting in the registry because no one knows WTF they are, and the photo is interesting. |
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On the Orkney islands, in the north of Scotland, there is a Neolithic settlement known as Skara Brae, which is a cluster of linked houses built into a midden. The material of the midden was apparently easy to dig into and made good insulation. I think that's super cool, and would like to submit Skara Brae as an AAA. |
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And when I build my hobbit hole I'll be on the lookout for a good midden. I might have to ask the neighbours to save up their eggshells. |
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See also: Stig of the Dump |
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[pocmloc] Skara Brae looks like a very cosy seaside midden. They say it is full of fish bones, joining the halfbakery in establishing agency for garbage that's useful and interesting. |
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Big Question: Who made this huge midden and where did they live before Skara Brae? Did they live outside and built Skara Brae in their own garbage when it got cold and nasty? |
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You would need to pick a single exposed wall in a single dwelling for the RoAAA application, as the entire complex exemplifies a high level of intentionality and would be disqualified. But a midden wall exposed in the construction of Skara Brae would certainly qualify! No one could claim that the fish bones, shells, and random detritus had been placed with any plan. The most interesting part to me was the sewer system in a Neolithic dwelling. Who knew? |
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Best of luck with your house plans. |
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