“Vanitas,” a series of found-object art installations by British artist, James Hopkins, dares the viewer to see beyond each object, and focus his or her view on the optical illusion the objects combine to create.

Above, “Shelf Life;” the rest below.

Will you see empty champagne bottles, disco balls, musical instruments and old records simply sitting on a shelf? Or will the skull in the background dominate your attention? It doesn’t have to be an either or scenario, but it’s an interesting decision Hopkins asks us to make. Finally, do these pieces further blur the line between art and home furnishing?

Which do you think it is, and can the two be one-and-the-same? Link

“Wasted Youth”

“Black Still Life”

“Design For Life”

“Last Days of the Sun”

“Prosperity and Decay”

“Consumption & Consequence”

*All Photos Credited To James Hopkins