The word “Abfall” in German means “refuse” or “waste” (garbage, rubbish), or, literally, “that which has fallen down.”
Does everything that touches the ground automatically become unwanted and turn into waste?
The semiotics of waste seem to be deeply rooted in a dynamic of verticality—in the downward movement of things. It is therefore hardly surprising that class and cultural politics are structured in a similar way, along the spectrum of above and below.
Dall’Introduzione alla mostra The Gleaners, Krone Couronne, 2023
