slider id='17764' name='The ‘Little Lost Project’ by Yoonjin Lee'

From frantic subway commutes to enthused street stampedes, New Yorkers and visitors alike often find that their personal keepsakes and knickknacks have a habit of getting lost in all of the excitement. In 2012, the U.S. census estimated New York City’s population at more than 8 million residents with a record 52 million visitors a year - It's no surprise that NYC accumulates a lot of lost stuff. Wonder where these misplaced tchotchkes are now? Found.

‘Little Lost Project’ transforms trash into art, telling the stories of the little objects that we lose all the time.  Artist Yoonjin “Zoonzin” Lee, a student at the School of Visual Arts, has given these objects a voice.  After scouring the streets of NYC for lost items, Lee assigns each a miniature cardboard sign with amusing phrases such as, “Help! I’m lost.”  She then returns them to the streets.  Started as a class project, Lee approaches this as an ongoing commitment to encourage every passerby to make an effort to “enjoy the little moments in life.”

Your lip balm that somehow managed to vanish from your coat pocket last week can probably relate.