For this assignment were asked to compile trash for the week and tally what remains. After that, we were asked to create a piece out of those materials.
After compiling the trash for 5 days I found that most of the trash that I compiled was food trash (takeout and hot bars especially). This is due to the fact that I was still getting settled in NYC and I did not start cooking until recently. In addition to this, there was a lot of packaging from boxes I had through ordering online or my family. Below you can see a compiled list of what I had in my trash heap at the end of the week.
FA Entry #1
I found it challenging to use a lot of the products as they still contained organic materials (i.e. food boxes, tissues, etc.) Moreover, I had a few things I didn’t want to use at all such as the blades as it would be unsafe.
In the end, I decided to use paper and cardboard that remained from school work and the mail packaging. I also ended up using black markers and glue from my Parsons First Year Package. Furthermore, I cleaned the image up and edited it on photoshop to enhance its appearance. Below you can find the end result.
Final Piece
Overall, it was an interesting experience because I know I did not go out of my comfort zone so much with this activity. I found it challenging to try and visualize the trash as usable materials for art. This way of thinking is essentially the problem. People, including myself, do not see that there could be useful materials for their art sitting right under their noses. Although I was not able to go very far with this activity it did make me think about how environmentally conscious I am.
