A strangely shaped piece of round wire often found breeding in cupboards. Wire hangers are almost totally useless for the purpose for which they were intended, that is to keep clothes separated from the floor.

However, they can be trained for more useful purposes with a certain amount of artistic creation: a replacement car aerial, a handy drain clearance device, a back scratcher, or a tool for reaching fiddly things dropped behind radiators.

The combination of several wire hangers can also be fashioned into highly regarded works of art and become fascinating conversation pieces when taken to the ultimate expression of form.