Vivian Reuter explores in her project the perhaps uncomfortable reality that we, primarily in the global north, are burning trash as a form of energy.
Known as “waste-to-energy”, the process of burning municipal waste to generate energy has grown rapidly across Europe as a solution to our waste problem. The incineration of trash in countries like the Netherlands, Denmark, and Germany is often portrayed through technological lenses as the exact opposite of its chaotic waste input: orderly, efficient, and clean. Incineration plants designed by prestigious names like Bjarke Ingels paint the image that this energy source is rightfully part of our new energy transition.
Perhaps unusually, waste incineration is largely considered a form of renewable energy, helping nations achieve climate targets. This should raise some eyebrows given that within the incinerated trash are large amounts of petroleum based products, such as plastics. Notably, about 1.1 tonnes of CO2 is emitted per tonne of trash; this is nearly 70M tonnes of CO2 emitted in the EU per year.
Reuter chooses to draw attention to this contentious space through the exploration of the iconic plastic outdoor chair.
By the mutilation of the iconic, playful plastic forms using fire, Reuter creates pieces that are at once attractive and repulsive— the smell and look of burnt plastic inherently makes us think of pollution and even the developing world where images of burning trash abound, such as Ghana’s Agbogbloshie dump. Reuters works seems to challenge waste incineration as having an element of absurdity by transforming the chairs into altogether different objects such as candles, and through the use of a domestic object, reminds us of the cost of our daily activities that are saturated in systems of consumption.
