PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS WITH WASTE
Goulburn Regional Art Gallery

What do you consider 'waste' in your daily life? Have you ever questioned what your neighbours throw out?

How much trash is accumulated in YOUR town or suburb on a daily basis?

Where does it all go after the garbage leaves your street?

At the 13th of April the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) will present the first solo exhibition in Australia of work by Dutch artist Jeanne van Heeswijk. Opening at Goulburn Regional Art Gallery on 15 April 2010, Talking Trash-personal relationships with waste explores what people consider to be waste and the confusion surrounding its disposal within the wider context of global ecological concerns.

From September to December 2009, the Rotterdam-based artist worked in collaboration with fellow video artist Paul Sixta to interview 25 participants from households in Goulburn and Liverpool. She questioned these volunteers on how they have tried to reduce their 'waste'. Jeanne's interview approach unearthed disparate responses and reasons for waste, from the practical and personal to the metaphorical. They revealed an increasing awareness of waste (or wastefulness) and individual frustrations at the enormity of this problem and its impact on their daily lives.

The artist then devised and filmed a series of narratives filmed by her and based on these personal stories. The exhibition at Goulburn Regional Art Gallery, Talking Trash, presents these 25 narratives in the form of short two minute video fictions, alongside an installation of photographic stills and personal objects gleaned from the project's participants. The exhibition also provides a series of instructional 'how to' guides for recycling to go some way towards improving understanding of this complex issue.

The participants in the film works had wide and varied approaches to disposing of waste, reflecting the complexity of this issue. Some are a conscious and successful effort to save the planet, while others are less effective. Together, they reflect the current consciousness that waste (or wastefulness) is now a part of our contemporary situation.

Goulburn Regional Art Gallery
Corner of Bourke and Church Streets
Goulburn, NSW 2580
Australia
www.mca.com.au

The project is an initiative of C3West: a long term project that aims to develop new ways of working with art, commerce and community by aligning business strategies with arts practices in a process of engagement for mutual benefit in Western Sydney and beyond. This project has been undertaken in collaboration with the community of Goulburn and in partnership with Veolia Environmental Services, Australia's largest Waste Management and Industrial Services Company.

related project
Talking Trash