This is the last project and post of 2014, but many years in the making: City Trash.
I originally had an idea of collecting trash from the major cultural (art, fashion, music etc.) capitals of the world and somehow compiling it into something tangible and new. The idea for the trash was to be “city specific”, meaning that a particular piece of trash, whatever it maybe, originated in that city. After choosing some of the cities, I decided to send emails to various friends or acquaintances living in these cities and asked them to start collecting. Amazingly, almost everyone I asked actually sent me gift packets of garbage. Some were great, some were very average. Over time I visited most of these cities and did a bit of collecting myself. Then the stuff sat around in boxes in bags. I had no idea what to do with it or maybe just too lazy to start.
Eventually, I had an opportunity to participate in a group show, where different designers created pieces of wallpaper curated by Jonathan and Anita from Rollout. I did the first collage piece using some of the trash sent to me from Paris. (Image below). At that time, I also decided to slightly break away from just sticking to only collected trash and add a few bits and pieces of more identifiable imagery from a particular city. I called the process “cheating”. However, I felt this imagery that was, by no means not all encompassing, helped to somehow ground the collages of actual trash. I chose these “cheat” items randomly from things I had around my house or studio. In one-way or another they all represented or reminded me of the city where they came from. These images are not meant to be “the last word” on the iconography or culture of a city, but rather and glimpse or the feel of a city in a particular time, thru a specific set of eyes and sensibilities.
Some Product produced a limited edition of the City Trash leggings and they will be released early in 2015. We have other interesting plans for these graphics as well as many new projects planned for the upcoming year. As always, Some Product – the brand, is a work in progress, and that’s how we like it.
These huge collages took a long time to collect, photograph, scan, mask out, clip and compile. A debt of gratitude to all who were involved and helped in this project in no particular order: Sabine, Chisa, Megan, Tyler, Natalia, Rene, Amy, Ann, Loraine, Yeni and Javi…
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.
Happy New Years!
xoxo
