let us view litter without seeing it as litter. let us judge aesthetics without ethics. when we notice debris beneath our feet, on the roadside, or in a park, we evaluate it morally. litter is evil. it is disgusting. we hate it. litter must “know its place.” it must be hidden in a trash can or a dump. but a piece of litter is just a product that fulfills its purpose. litter doesn’t throw itself on the road. we shouldn’t project hate and guilt on it.
i search for litter interacting with the environment at the micro-level. when remaining stationary for a time, a dialogue between them begins. litter is an obstacle, an alien object that alters the environment. but the environment will patiently assimilate the litter. with time comes a covering of dust, mud, mold, water, or snow. if not taken away, litter becomes a part of the environment.
since a dialogue requires time and privacy, i explore blindspots that fall off the radar of public utilities. i find them in borderline zones — areas between city and non-city, civilization and wilderness.
a root sprouting through a plastic comb is an illustration of the thesis, antithesis, and synthesis. i capture this dialectic because it indicates: the world is not black and white but ambiguous. abstract dualities like life and death, love and hate, nature and humanity are oversimplifications. there are no pure antagonists in life. we live in a world painted in halftones where everything is interconnected.
