THE GARBAGE
In this series, the term constantly belittled and misunderstood - "garbage" - serves as the central theme. It acts as a medium and metaphor for the upper-level suppression experienced during one's growth, encompassing oppression from parents or elders, educational institutions, industry power, and societal values
. In the educational culture of China, being labeled as garbage can render all your efforts worthless. Many Asian students or youths, under intense mental pressure from an early age, go to extreme lengths to prove that they are not worthless.
Is the term "garbage" inherently sinful? Why is garbage equated with worthlessness? This project explores the definition and reality of garbage in two parts, delving into the life cycle of garbage.
Part 1.0
The first part employs documentary photography to directly confront the situation of garbage in reality, the processes of garbage disposal, and the groups handling the waste. It explores the essence of waste. I magnify overlooked details, questioning the definition of garbage. True classification becomes elusive. Does garbage truly disappear? Clearly not. The journey from being valued to being considered useless is only the initial stage of garbage's destiny.
After entering the garbage truck, a journey beyond the city begins, reaching the waste processing site. Here, garbage brings new value to workers, attracting recycling facilities. As materials are repurchased, reprocessed, and transformed into new items, re-entering the public domain, the recycling cycle unfolds. This illustrates the vitality of recycling and the similarities between the labels and values of items and individuals - perceived value constantly fluctuates.
















If the meaning of words is bestowed by humans, then I will redefine the term "garbage" in the second part. Using the photographic results from the first part as the raw material for experimentation, I combine the emotional expressions of dancers to convey the significance of garbage in my mental world. They serve humanity, have all their value squeezed out, and then are discarded, yet these seemingly valueless entities provide more value to a group of people whose livelihood depends on waste management.
As version 1.0 of the raw material, I conduct various experiments, including tearing, soaking, burying, and squeezing. Every failure behind each accusation of being ‘garbage’ might eventually become the foundation and fertilizer for your growth.