Fool's Paradise is a huge collection of found and acquired objects 'curated' by Les Oakes. A truly eccentric Englishman, Les collected objects all his life. When Les and his wife moved to Staffordshire, England, in 1965 they started the buildings at Hales View Farm which contain his collections. Whilst farming cows and sheep he continued to collect everything, although he had a particular passion for horse drawn carriages. Les 'curated' his objects into tableaux and themes in a peculiarly personal fashion. We were fortunate to get Les's blessing to spend time photographing his amazing collections - we hope that you enjoy the images and that they may evoke in you the same range of emotions and memories that they did for us. Les named his collection "Fool's Paradise." Sadly Les died in a tragic car accident returning from an auction in 2000. This exhibition pays homage to this extraordinary collector and shrewd observer of the human condition.
© Gigi & Robin Williams Photography
