OPHOBNINGER
Charlotte Thrane
06.10.23 - 28.10.23
presenting: "OPHOBNINGER"
“Monte Testaccio is an artificial mound in the southern part of Rome, composed almost entirely of ancient pottery fragments. The Romans had wine and olive oil delivered here in earthenware amphorae. When the vessels were emptied they were discarded, and the mound was formed over time.
Roughly 15 million pieces of discarded clothing come into Ghana’s capital, Accra every week from the UK, Europe, North America and Australia. An estimated 40 per cent are of such poor quality that they are deemed worthless on arrival, and end up dumped in landfill in the area surrounding Kantamanto Market. The vast quantities of discarded clothing have merged over time with the surroundings and formed a new landscape.
There is a category of waste disposal called landfill. A landfill is a huge excavated hole in the ground, which is sealed with a bottom and sides of plastic or clay. Waste that cannot be reused, recycled or burned because it is too toxic is buried here. In Denmark we bury soft PVC items such as Wellington boots, inflatables and air mattresses in landfill, as well as street sweepings and toxic construction waste.
In the Anthropocene age, the common understanding of society and nature as two separate entities has dissolved. Instead, there is now a more complex, dynamic and interconnected reality, where human activities leave deep, lasting and far-reaching traces in and on Earth.”
Supported by Statens Kunstfond and Rådet for Visuel Kunst together with Statens Værksteder and Paschal.
Photo by Brian Kure
