The purpose of this photographic series is to highlight the ubiquity of waste throughout modern life. We have all seen the numerous images of garbage; mountains of trash destined to become landfill, rivers flowing with plastic, huge stacks of white goods and discarded electrical appliances. Unfortunately with these kinds of images, their abundance tends to work against any intention to warn.
Almost certainly, over exposure and media saturation about climate change have destroyed the message. 'You must recycle, 2 degree rise, runaway temperatures, extreme weather events, rising oceans, millions displaced' (a somewhat mild euphemism for forced homelessness and habitat loss). These messages are on a constant loop and we have stopped being able to hear them over the incessant call to save our planet. Do any of us really know where our garbage goes once it's thrown out, once we can't see it?
Yet we still embrace consumerism, and in doing so, continue to create new waste at an unprecedented rate. Although many of us recycle, our concern with the leftover waste tends to overlook the environmental impact created during the production of things we consume. The odds are stacked against us and it's not looking good. Though I hope I'm wrong, the foul-mouthed pessimist in me insists we're fucked. Should we be more concerned with finding solutions that don't create waste to begin with? Shouldn't we, at the very least, be more concerned?
The photographs present waste items as products of consumption. Through this representation, the life cycle of a product becomes reversed and our consumer culture existence is confronted with the consequences of our material needs and desires.
