In the twenty-first century, the ‘developed world’ has solidified itself as an acolyte of the god of consumerism. Shiny new things are bought on a whim and discarded with an equal amount of thought. Our lives are built on disposability. Instead of repairing or patching we simply replace. Make do and mend is largely a thing of the past. Items with years more life in them are tossed away. Fashions come and go. Relying on credit to buy the latest new fad.
What happens to these items when they’re deemed obsolete by their owners? They don’t simply just disappear and yet out of sight, out of mind. They exist though. Often in the poorest countries and regions. These graveyards stand testament to the folly of capitalism. However, there are people who aim to give these discarded objects a new lease of life. Scrap focuses on the artists, around the world, repurposing these cast-offs.
We need to change the relationship we have with consumer items. The sheer amount of metal just left to rust away is a disgrace. In Scrap, director Stacy Tanenbaum both exposes these visually arresting monoliths and the creative ways sculptors and artists can make out of them. It’s both a fascinating insight into how we can re/upcycle the objects we use and a telling reminder of the damage our lifestyles is having on the environment.
Scrap opens in LA on the 28 November.
