When Rubbish Becomes Art

Could you imagine relaxing in seven days of your own Rubbish? That is just what Gregg Segal’s Californian neighbours, friends and strangers did! They rested in piles of their own rubbish that they collected over a period of seven days for Gregg’s photography series entitled ‘7 days of Garbage’. Fitting that this series of life size portraits now cloak the walls of The City Bin Co.’s offices, both in Dublin and the HQ in Galway.

Segal’s photography makes you sit up and think because the content seems so contradictory. The small volume of waste becomes big over time. The ugliness of the waste collected becomes striking in the composition. You see the unnatural materials against the natural human body. The rubbish becomes art.

The photographs are a visual index of the waste that humankind produces over time, diet patterns and packaging volumes. The now world famous collection of photos that document the pure volume of waste collected by individuals and families drape the walls of The City Bin Co. who  collect the waste produced. The images were headlined in some news outlets as shocking. We believe they are inspiring and thought provoking. The photos deliver real statistics with a visual impact.