Last year I completed an artist residency at the Katoomba Resource Recovery and Waste Management Facility, thanks to Blue Mountains City Council. During my time there, I created still-lives from items I collected on site.

I wanted to give these discarded objects a new life before recycling, photographing them in a colourful, 1980’s inspired advertising style, shot entirely on 35mm film.

Even though there is a lot going on in this image, to me there is calm. Everything is balanced and organised. I like collecting things and I like organising things. I have control over this construction, especially at a time when I often feel powerless in the face of the realities of climate change and human impact on the earth.

The act of disposal can feel peaceful to the person doing it—cathartic even. Cleansing. Calming. I know that feeling well. But the flip side is that this sense of relief often creates a burden somewhere else.

For Winter Magic ART STREET, I decided to recreate this still-life as an installation behind a blue painter’s drop sheet, with small eye holes for the audience to peer through. I wanted people to look into a world of waste that is a little bit magical and mysterious. By peering into this constructed world of waste, I hope people might pause to consider not only what we throw away, but what those discarded objects reveal about us.

Thank you Summit Gear for having me in their window.