What began with a littered bread bag tag catching my eye on the side of the street ended in the fruition of my (unofficially titled) “TrashHuman” project. In between those two moments were several months spent collecting—carefully cataloging—every piece of trash I produced, came across, or could convince others to salvage​​​​​​​ for me. 

Out of sight, out of mind, our trash feels inconsequential to our lives once thrown out. However, our entire lives can be documented via the waste we yield; Nearly every activity we do, every purchase we make, and even every meal we consume produces a paper trial of discarded plastics and wrappers. These discards exist long past our lifetime and are perhaps the best records of who we are and what our legacy will be. “TrashHuman” evolved from just my interest in the extreme colors and textures of street litter to an exploration of trash as material, sustainability in art, and the opportunity to use myself (and those around me) as a case study to create, functionally, a screenshot of our current trash habits. 

For further images and descriptions of the themes explored in each component of my senior thesis project, see their individual pages linked under "THESIS".