Article #4211

For more than a decade, Michigan-based artist Ted Lott has been retro-fitting vintage suitcases and furniture with miniature dwellings. He tailors the architectural elements to the objects: a 1920s suitcase, for example, might become an art deco-style house, while a traditional chair might be made into a neoclassical residence. “I’m drawn to objects that carry a sense of their own history before they arrive in my studio,” he says. The idea of shelter is at the heart of his work, as is migration. “I wanted to embrace the idea of immigration and celebrate the uncertainty, hardship and sacrifice that people have endured over the centuries to build this country.”

• See more at tedlott.com