Artist Leopoldo Plentz's series 'Useless Things' examines the relationship between human beings, consumption, and waste. For this project, Plentz went around picking up what most would call “trash†off the streets, altered his finds digitally, and subsequently took the litter to his studio to photograph the untouched items in order to transform the way we look at garbage.
Leopoldo Plentz's mission was to force the viewer to rethink what is considered useless, essential, beautiful, and ordinary.
Implications - "I try to explore tiny findings: remains of torn, destroyed, deformed wrappings found on the street," Leopoldo Plentz says of his 'Useless Things' series. "Choosing these wrappings is totally intuitive, just seeing and picking them up, without second thoughts, otherwise reason would take over and they would be left behind."
Well, aren't we lucky Plentz trusts his gut?
City Litter Portraits
Artist Leopoldo Plentz Takes Trash to Another Level with 'Useless Things'
Trend Themes
1. Reimagining Waste - Artists could upend the aesthetics of waste and trash and present them as objects of beauty and value.
2. Sustainable Art - Artists could explore how to create art sustainably using waste to cut down on the use of new materials.
3. Digital Environmentalism - The use of technological tools like digital editing could serve as a new way of engaging with environmental problems and showcase it in an artistic way.
Industry Implications
1. Sustainable Art - Artists could upend the aesthetics of waste and trash and present them as objects of beauty and value.
2. Environmental Activism - This piece can serve as a source of inspiration for environmental activist groups looking for creative ways to bring attention to environmental issues.
3. Photography - Photographers could explore how the use of digital editing could expand their art form to showcase environmental problems in new ways.