@pau

trash museum

a clear plastic squeeze bottle a red plastic tube a small see-through resealable bag a small clear plastic container with an attached lid a clear container of 1l with a red plastic screw-on lid an unfolded cardboard box which contained 580g of fresh dates a big sealable bag that contained sweet potato noodles a medium-sized fibre net that contained apples a small red plastic net that contained 3 garlic bunches a bright red plastic bag, crunched up a white plastic cup that contained yoghurt (500g) a bright red plastic bag that contained nuts a clear plastic container that contained sesame crackers

the whole concept of "trash" is weird if you think about it. the act of "throwing something out/away" implies that it just goes into some kind of convenient void which is none of our concern. throwing out trash is an automatic daily action, similar to regenerative actions like washing dishes or brushing teeth. it's easy to overlook because trash is literally not something we want to look at for longer than absolutely necessary. trash is meant to be overlooked.

what if "trash" as a category (or even as a word) simply didn't exist? what if you had to keep everything you consume and figure it out yourself with your community?

that we generate trash is of course directly necessitated by the kinds of products available to us. what if companies, in the first place, couldn't even bring a product to market which will inevitably lead to trash?

this collection of trash is meant as an exercise for the eye and imagination. i generally don't feel bad for throwing out my garbage, nor am i trying to solve the problem as an individual by keeping these items. more so, these pieces have a visual or haptic or material quality that makes them impossible for me to consider them trash.

insect log

i observed and logged any sightings of insects as well as any mentions of insects for a week. if you want to get closer to insects — or any topic, really – try it out yourself.

date 🐜🪰🪳🦟🦗🕷
monday 15:17 three ants crawling on my arm and torso while i sit outside the library
monday 15:43 a tiny bug (1-2mm) crawls on my thumb while i hold my smartphone
monday 18:23 a tiny fly (1-2mm) crawls out of my strawberries
monday 21:54 a fruit fly flies out of my waste basket (i left a banana peel in there a few days ago)
tuesday 08:13 three fruit flies circle above me while i paint my nails on the floor (i should take out my trash with the banana peel in there)
tuesday 14:38 my roommate remarks that we have too many fruit flies in the kitchen. we look up to the ceiling and count at least 20 sitting up there.
wednesday nothing new, just the occasional fruit fly in the kitchen
thursday 20:14 my roommate and i buy two fruit fly traps at the super market
friday 22:23 my acquaintance M tells me a horrible story about an infestation of bed bugs, mortar wasps, and an exterminator
sunday 13:06 my friend O shows me how she handles herorganic waste bin to avoid fruit fly infestations
tuesday 11:55 two normal flies circle my head while i work. the smaller one of the two looks kind of cute and elegant.

to do

questions