Balancing Acts

2019

Revolution Recovery, Philadelphia, PA.

Material Research

Balancing Acts is a series of building experiments that explore the materiality of waste. The project grew out of a six-week residency at RAIR (Recycled Artists in Residence), a non-profit arts organization located within a construction and demolition waste recycling facility in Northeast Philadelphia. The project unpacks the relationship between physical inventory systems—rectangular bales of cardboard, plastic and aluminum that are ubiquitous to the recycling industry—and the economies of scale associated with the redistribution of waste across state and national boundaries. The piece consists of a set of lightweight, imitation bales constructed out of expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam fragments collected from the tipping yard. Often deployed on building projects as a substitute for monolithic masonry construction, EPS foam illustrates the essential weight-to-volume relationships of contemporary supply chains, offering a compelling medium for reflecting on the afterlives of modern materials. 

Material Consultants: RAIR Philadelphia

Photography: Billy Dufala, Theo Mullen.

This work was supported by a residency at RAIR (Recycled Artists in Residence), Philadelphia, PA.