A short film I created in late 2014 explores the treasures of one mans trash. I hope that Curbside Comforts will inspire people to re-think what gets thrown away in hard rubbish. One mans trash is easily another mans treasure and with a little bit of TLC they can be re-purposed into something new. Instead of letting it go to landfill consider giving your old items some love or donate it to those that will. Lets work together to save our environment. ARTIST STATEMENT ‘Curbside Comforts’ is the reverberation of one man’s trash and an exploration of society’s throw-out mindset. I spent much of my youth doing the ‘traps’ with my father and learning all about recycling, resourcefulness and the beauty in the old. Annually, we would rummage through the local neighborhoods for discarded possessions and begin to dream about how we were going to turn these old, drab and superfluous goods into refurbished treasures that would be given new life for years to come. The site chosen for this project is a local curbside in the Kingston Council. This area sits in a beautiful tree lined residential street; a grassed nature strip out the front of a block of units. The site features a telegraph pole positioned at one end, neighboring houses and surrounding hard rubbish piles awaiting the local council pick up next week. ‘Curbside Comforts’ has been constructed using found goods thrown out in the 2014 Kingston Council hard rubbish. Items collected include; carpet, rug, dinner plates, glass jars, wine glasses, toys, books, furniture, pictures, sofa cushions and other knick-knacks. Each item collected has its own history via its materiality, its usual function and it original owner. After being pulled from the scrap heap, refurbished and positioned collectively within their newly transformed site by the road, they form a unique story that represents society’s insatiable desire for the new and the reluctance to donate redundant household items. Laws in force surrounding the collection of hard rubbish and the legalities concerning everyday citizens whom choose to hunt through their neighbour’s hard rubbish shows the lack of understanding from local governments and their priorities for gaining profits over ethical values. Instead of encouraging ethically minded citizens to lead the way in educating our society about recycling, local governments have taken to punishing their behavior as acts of crime and in 2011; a man WAS arrested over a vacuum cleaner being taken from Chirnside Park hard rubbish. “Heather Jones, who lives near Mr Flood, said she believed police should be ashamed of themselves for arresting him after witnessing Yarra Ranges council workers collecting hard rubbish from nearby streets including complete wheelbarrows, barbecues and lounge suites only to crushed in the back of a compacting rubbish truck”. Herald Sun. (2011). The outcome of this work has crystallized from my own personal experience growing up in a household that was built on creativity, resourcefulness and a respect for the environment. ‘Curbside Comforts’ aims to explore the relationship between our personal belongings, disposable wares and the increasing profits gained by local councils. ‘Curbside Comforts’ investigates these realities and begs the question, who is the real criminal? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ABS. (2006). $613.0. Australian Enviroment: Issues and Trends 2006. {journal]. Retrieved 20th September, 2014 from abs.gov.au/ausstats/[email protected]/0/3B0DD93AB123A68BCA257234007B6A2F?OpenDocument Schulz, M. Harris, A. (2011). Herald Sun: ‘Man arrested over vacuum cleaner taken from Chirnside Park hard rubbish’ [article]. Retrieved 20th September, 2014 from heraldsun.au/news/victoria/man-arrested-for-allegedly-stealing-vaccum-from-mooroolbark-rubbish/story-e6frf7kx-1226025817608?nk=a327e1ffb9cd711e7a426f7b83623c75
Posted on: Thu, 08 Jan 2015 03:16:34 +0000
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