There are times, mid-cleaning-spree, when I take a step back and realize that while stuffing my vintage scarves in a box just so is how I’ve always neatened up, this does not necessarily mean that the result is orderly. I may take pride in not fussing over my messes too compulsively, but my gaze inevitably wanders to a colleague’s desk, beaming with symmetry and minimalism, and I can’t help but pout my lips in envy.
Swiss artist and comedian Ursus Wehrli sees your food-cannot-mix-on-the-plate neurosis and raises you one. In his latest book, The Art of Cleaning Up (or Die Kunst, Aufzuraumen), Wehrli organizes not just alphabet soup, but even parking lots and starry skies. Robert Krulwich covers Wehrli’s project on his blog for NPR, finding rationale for the artist’s perspective in his own admission: “‘We Swiss are famous for chocolate and cheese,’ Ursus Wehrli told a TED Conference. ‘Our trains run on time. We’re only happy when things are in order.’”
Ursus Wehrli
Ursus Wehrli
Ursus Wehrli
Ursus Wehrli
In the chaos of the everyday, do these photographs set your mind at ease? Or are your paint-stained fingers yearning for a good muddling?
Michelle Traub is an editor for Etsy.
3 Featured Comments
Sign in to add your ownfunktionslust says: Featured
Neat concept...I wonder how he feels about his own body parts, the cells, blood, bones, squishy stuff all mushed together to create his human body. I wonder if he can imagine taking all of his body parts and lining them up in neat little rows and seeing what the end result would be...
244 days ago
adoreneko says: Featured
Grouping things together really brings everything into perspective, but limits possibilities outside the box.
244 days ago
KettleConfections says: Featured
In a fast paced world where we often feel tired and overworked, I think we all yearn for order and neatness because it really is so much more relaxing to look at a situation, or image and not have to try to hard to figure out what it is, or what's going on.
244 days ago
108 comments
Sign in to add your ownAvianInspirations says:
This makes the little OCD angel on my shoulder rather giddy.
244 days ago
PoleStar says:
Muddle it! The lined up ones are not natural. The pine tree is more organized and beautiful in the original than plucked apart and laid out.
244 days ago
accentonvintage says:
Love his obsession! Great article!
244 days ago
OnlyOriginalsByAJ says:
Interesting....I'm more of a muddle it up type of person, but I have to give him credit, it looks pretty neat.
244 days ago
jammerjewelry says:
Lovely article, thanks
244 days ago
lucysnowephotography says:
I'm loving it......so creative :) I'm pretty messy myself however...but love the people and beach towels lined up!! so funny!!!
244 days ago
funktionslust says: Featured
Neat concept...I wonder how he feels about his own body parts, the cells, blood, bones, squishy stuff all mushed together to create his human body. I wonder if he can imagine taking all of his body parts and lining them up in neat little rows and seeing what the end result would be...
244 days ago
calloohcallay says:
I love how the one guy who is fully clothed gets a line all his own. This is hilarious!
244 days ago
tarikyousef says:
That is great.
244 days ago
StudioZen says:
Oh my gosh, my dear hubby would love this. The pine needles just crack me up. There. All tidy now. :)
244 days ago
BabetteBistro says:
What an interesting, inventive and slightly OCD approach to art!
244 days ago
twigandsprout says:
This reminds me of a very methodical way that I used to sort M&M's as a child... not just by color but also the clarity of the M. :)
244 days ago
Trenza says:
For some reason seeing everything organized as such stresses me out more than seeing it in its organic/chaotic form. I guess the idea of "tidying things up" on this scale makes me a bit nervous.. haha, I guess that says something about my neatness. ;) Great work here!
244 days ago
BoniDutch says:
This is so interesting.
244 days ago
RegalCottage says:
Oh, this is right up my alley! I do like things orderly, but with 4 kids, I rarely get enough tidiness. Sometimes it is a bit maddening trying to organize our lives, so why not have all the order one craves in art?
244 days ago
aclassicfinish says:
This really got me thinking and I like the article. But by putting a think into it's relative parts, something of the character is lost, a day outside is not the sum of the parts that make up the day, but in the relationship between items and how they work together or against each other, lining things up in order loses some of the essence.
244 days ago
IndyGrrrlProductions says:
LOVE these photos. I like meticulously sorting things into groups.
244 days ago
matesrubbish says:
this is so brilliant. i can't help but wonder how long it took him to organize the alphabet soup.
244 days ago
GlazeNfireCeramics says:
my inner OCD suffering soul is jumping for joy!
244 days ago
GlazeNfireCeramics says:
Can't decide whether I am hungry or just obsessed bc I was imagining eating all the extra letters in his ABC soup!
244 days ago
adoreneko says: Featured
Grouping things together really brings everything into perspective, but limits possibilities outside the box.
244 days ago
EcoChicHandKnits says:
Very interesting! This is making me want to start cleaning right now haha.
244 days ago
RamshackleStudio says:
i'd seen the pine needles before... love the soup... that's awesome!
244 days ago
TheLazyOwl says:
I felt a sigh of relief as I looked upon the neat and tidy pool side umbrellas and sunbathers. I like things neat and tidy....maybe my fabric stash should resemble my desires. :)
244 days ago
HandmadeMonster says:
AMAZING. I love these pictures!
244 days ago
MegansMenagerie says:
Haha! I like the messy pictures better but the organized pool party is pretty funny! =)
244 days ago
myvintagecrush says:
Love these, so organized!! I could make lists and organize the day away!
244 days ago
VintageByLeigh says:
I'm a muddled person but long for organization. :) Great find with this photographer!
244 days ago
madebynanna says:
Funny!!
244 days ago
NobleTextiles says:
I like them all!
244 days ago
DrVintage says:
This is HILARIOUS!!! Just what I need is humor to get organized. Love the pool/grass photo... Love the 'addition' of the fully dressed male...perfectly out of place. Congrats!
244 days ago
onelovebird says:
I LOVE IT!
244 days ago
mylenefoster says:
This is so funny!
244 days ago
thehappycouple says:
As much as I love organization, I am (sigh) not organized. Even after I realize how much time I'm wasting looking for things, my clean ups never last very long. It's always on my goal setting list.
244 days ago
hammeritout says:
I dig it. I think when you make things you see the pieces just as much as the finished product. Having the bits all lined seems like part of the process to me.
244 days ago
TheScarfTree says:
I love these photo's! So good - makes the point! Thanks for sharing!
244 days ago
juju06 says:
OMG this is such a treat to me. Ha ha My 4 year old son is the same way....
244 days ago
melaniepaulson says:
These bring me back to design school; we used Swiss Style as a shorthand to describe minimalist, clean designs that had a strong underlying grid.
244 days ago
BlueRoseRetro says:
What pure enjoyment! When I first saw the bowl of alphabet letters all lined up, I thought... "wow, someone has too much time on their hands", and as I moved on to the other images I was all smiles. I need 1/100th of Ursus Wehrli's organizational skills. I am going to try this myself. I'll let you know how it goes.
244 days ago
MootiDesigns says:
Ok guilty! I love rearranging in an organized way too. Great post!
244 days ago
JulienDenoyer says:
Haha this is really great!!! I love it...being French (elbowing them Swiss) I can appreciate order, but when it's put in a photographic context you've got my attention!!! Love it!
244 days ago
HibouCards says:
Absolutely looove this! It feels like I'm looking at my OCD gone out of hand but not that far off ;) Thanks for sharing the work of this great artist, I will be passing this along to my other OCD friends :)
244 days ago
ArtPhotosDiana says:
hilarious
244 days ago
paramountvintage says:
i've been on a huge cleaning spree. maybe not as neurotic as Ursus, haha.
244 days ago
LeatherheadOriginals says:
Great article that touches my soul! I have Aspergers' Syndrome and believe elements of OCD come with the territory! My daily life isn't perfectly organized( just look at my studio space sometime LOL), but find it fun to organize stuff like Werhli's examples up top! I exercise my brain by imagining people, objects, etc. in a public place arranged different than how they are presented before me, if you know what I mean.
244 days ago
valeriephoto says:
I love it! How comforting to see so much order and symmetry. If only I had the power to this with my mind!
244 days ago
BanglewoodSupplies says:
Awesome concept. I am a bit of a clean freak and it can get extreme. Love it, I don't feel as weird.
244 days ago
PonderingSeedsofHope says:
整理整頓 Wow(ﾟoﾟ)w
244 days ago
PonderingSeedsofHope says:
W(ﾟoﾟ)w
244 days ago
ekohaus says:
Great! Powerful ! Stylish!
244 days ago
SunshineSparrow says:
made me snicker just a little. would like to see more actually. may have to check out the book.
244 days ago
KettleConfections says: Featured
In a fast paced world where we often feel tired and overworked, I think we all yearn for order and neatness because it really is so much more relaxing to look at a situation, or image and not have to try to hard to figure out what it is, or what's going on.
244 days ago
charmdesignstudio says:
I really kind of love this! :)
244 days ago
cassandrastephanie says:
Saw these photos the other day. Love it!
244 days ago
designlab443 says:
very fun!
244 days ago
TheEverlastingPosy says:
I love these photographs!
244 days ago
ericawalker says:
Ha! love this- it really speaks to my inner ocd.
244 days ago
Marumadrid says:
They make me feel... relaxed? I gues that's no good :( I think ain't not big enough closets for my desire to keep stuff organized.
244 days ago
oneeyedgirls says:
I'm trying to remember the last picnic I had where everyone was not only lined up, but lying down....:) I'm definitely on the messier side of the table, yet admire a mind so transfixed with organizing. I'll take my nature straight up but love these photographs!!
244 days ago
Moonhoneyvintage says:
it reminds me of the blog: things organized neatly.
244 days ago
RuthBleakley says:
Wow! I think these are pretty funny and they remind me of the time one of my neatnik friends came to visit me and was horrified at the messiness of my studio table and proceeded to organize everything into small tidys stacks.
244 days ago
BJDollAccess0ruse says:
Love this. The contrast.
244 days ago
LittleWrenPottery says:
I actually came across this a few weeks ago, it shows how despite our seemingly chaotic nature we all have a desire to find or see order in our daily lives.
244 days ago
StrandRedesign says:
I don't know why I love these photos so much, but I do, I really do!
244 days ago
StrandRedesign says:
The photos also reminds me of how the kitchen could look after my ex-mother-in-laws visits...
244 days ago
aRebelInTheLotus says:
not only my fingers itching but my veins in my fingers- really great pictures tho!
244 days ago
dekoprojects says:
I find it very funny. My room is a cage of mess, but I am finding myself (and things I need) in this. I tidy up regularly but the effect lasts a very short time. Usually the same day my room is again full of paper, paper beads, some cutted plastic and my personal things. This is like tilting at windmills! Un caso perdido.
244 days ago
AuthenticAVictoria says:
Oh my! Mess it up! Muddle away! Everything in my house is in a poetic disarray! Love the cottage feel of nick knacks and projects scattered about the house! Thanks for the read. ;-)
244 days ago
GracefullyGirly says:
I get such a kick out of this! I can't keep myself so tidy but it's fun seeing someone make order out of chaos. The people picture just makes me giggle.
244 days ago
everythingok says:
Good heavens, this is genius. In my dayjob, at a library, I admittedly get a little bit obsessive with putting things in the right order. I see a registration card filed out of place, my mind does a little grumble and pouts until I set it in order. The result of this, however, is that when I'm off-duty, I'm so tired of order that my home life is in total bizarre chaos: piles of prints and half-finished projects spilling out of every corner. Somehow, the chaos is comforting.
244 days ago
PyxusPassionProject says:
Neat and orderly.. yes please!!
244 days ago
SweetiePieCollars says:
Personally, I'm inspired by a little chaos. Sometimes you end up with two colors or patterns or materials next to each other that you would have never considered. Just the mess of my desk organizer is inspiring me right now-- full of markers, scissors, paint brushes, and office supplies in a thousand colors. It gives my brain a little !ZAP! when I look at it. ;-) But I am absolutely loving the photos above, especially the pine needles which I would have NEVER thought of, and I do stop to clean and organize every once in awhile, which ALSO can be inspiring.
244 days ago
MishaGirl says:
I love Ursus' sense of humor! As a Swiss girl myself, I'm pretty sure we come out of the womb on time, with a piece of cheese in one hand and organizer in the other.
244 days ago
Parachute425 says:
very funny
244 days ago
TheMillineryShop says:
Being an artist, I am by definition not very neat and leave quite a mess in my wake when I am working. Yet there is something so beautiful that happens when you organize things that would otherwise be randomly dispersed. I love being able to itemize and take stock, and lining up things simply and easily shows the beauty of order.
244 days ago
kmcknight1 says:
This is so awesome! For some reason, seeing these photos in the order they are in makes me feel more organized without doing any work! Very creative.
244 days ago
Iammie says:
Love this post!
244 days ago
sandboxcastle says:
I am about as messy and un-organized as you can get but I love this OCD-art XD It's Brilliant!
244 days ago
sandboxcastle says:
I'm about as messy as they get but this OCD-art is BRILLIANT!
244 days ago
MizzleKids says:
I love it!! It is so orderly that it isn't anyting else anymore.
244 days ago
steinschmuckdesign says:
Hahahha!!! I am living in Switzerland and yes many things are in order, but glade not everything :) Love the Photos and they inspiere my mind!
244 days ago
piggledee says:
The organized poolside photo is beautiful! Those colorful blankets looking like an amazing quilt.
243 days ago
novella says:
Order forces me to behave chaotically and swing out of sync like a group of intoxicated synchronized swimmers.
243 days ago
danielfranklin says:
I wish I could be that neat! No way! I pick it up- he puts it down just a little faster- oh well. Besides doesn't the laws of the universe lead us toward disorder? That is what I tell the wife anyway.
243 days ago
Evajune says:
I'm in the middle of organizing my closets. It is amazing what a closet can tell you.
243 days ago
LaronDesign says:
Lovely article, thanks
243 days ago
Zalavintage says:
My best friend is Swiss, there is definitely something in the Swiss mind that demands order. I love the comparison pool shot, my brain snapped to attention! Amazing. I'm forwarding a link to her in Paris right now!
243 days ago
stockannette says:
Great photos!
243 days ago
HouseOfMoss says:
I love this! I have a special spot in my heart for obsessive orderliness. <3
243 days ago
JustEnjoyYourself says:
Brilliant. Funny, eye-catching and strangely moving. Makes you reflect on your own personality type.
243 days ago
justbuyin says:
There is something sad and un-fun about the organized photos, but it's an interesting way to demonstrate a deep desire for order.
243 days ago
cathydurso says:
I like this. I think the order and chaos photos are both equally interesting, visually. Having a little bit of each in your life doesn't hurt!
243 days ago
gatorgrrl says:
I love love love this!
243 days ago
TodaysFelicia says:
I absolutely love these photos above, especially the pine needles if it wasnt for a little chaos every now and then i would miss out on somethings potential when i stop to clean and organize things i get some of the most inspiring ideas
243 days ago
abbyberkson says:
I Love this! I think it is really funny and charming!
243 days ago
nadineNx says:
I love it! I have all my books and my collection of fat quarters ordered by colour. I love the look of it, and i find cleaning and ordering things very calming. This really is a whole new level though...
243 days ago
outofline says:
Those photos are surprising...in a funny I want to think more about that way.
243 days ago
LorraineYoungPottery says:
That before and after soup photo! take control of your life :) Lorraine
242 days ago
WoolTrousers says:
There is something really beautiful about the deconstructed evergreen branch. I'm itching to switch the order of the first two sticks, though.
242 days ago
MrsFroitz says:
Reminds me of the story my mother loves to use to describe my teenage OCD behavior. She'll never forget how she came home to find that I'd organized the "junk drawer" by compartmentalizing the items into neatly labeled brown paper bags.
242 days ago
rivahside says:
Oddly amazing!
242 days ago
KCardDesigns says:
VintageByLeigh said it well: a muddled person who longs for order" or something like that...that's me. My studio is a sad, sad disaster...squeezing the very life out of my creativity...what to do, what to do, and HOW to do it...
242 days ago
pollypeters7 says:
I have a passion for not too much order, but I love grouping things together of likeness, clear glass, orange things, blue things. I love bringing designs of things into a design...so much fun (TT), Polly
242 days ago
stepbackink says:
Every time I organized my work area I get scared :) a feeling of loss of control takes over, the organization would last for few weeks then back to normal haha
241 days ago
GardenCapture says:
I thought the pine branch was perfectly organized and had beautiful symmetry in its natural state. But I LOVED the pulling apart and stacking of its parts. It accentuates some of the branches properties, especially the tones of green in a different way. The stacking seemed 'unorganized' to me, given its natural habit, but then I guess I'm a Naturalist at heart!
241 days ago
melissabrickley says:
I wish my life were that organized! Oh well....
241 days ago
ghettovinyl says:
I wish he would come to my house and straighten it out! OCD can sometimes be a good thing!
241 days ago
somsstudiosupplies says:
Chaos is the truth of life.
240 days ago