'BULKY PLASTE'
or HOUSTORY OF BULKY TRAWASTE
by
PPP - Performativni Podganji Poganjek
(Performative bRAT)
is about a series of events during summer afternoons, when at an adequately populated and large heap of bulky waste the following occurs:
Next to the heap of bulky waste 4-6 persons gather in working overalls and other protection gear, equipped with diverse do-it-yourself tools, a heavy duty battery and an ac/dc-converter as an independant source of electricity. One further person takes care of documentation (foto, video, sound), bringing food and drinks to the site and informing passers-by, he or she is also in charge of legal matters, clarifying things with any authorities, inhabitants of the area etc. By carefuly handling the materials, the tools and the environment the group does its best to build a little house or a »room« of maximal possible comfort, nature-friendlyness and aesthetics. Only nails, screws, glue and colors (for interior/exterior decoration) are brought »from the outside«. Passers-by are invited to join the working process, of course only under proper protection measures. The main guidelines of the building process are: creative recycling, improvisation, refunctionalisation, reaesthetisation and, of course – PR: the builders are entering constructive interactions with the passers-by as well as with the »birds of prey« (semi-professional plunderers of bulky waste) with whom they negotiate and trade individual pieces of material. An important element of the »facade« is also a huge old TV (prepared in advance), showing a live-mixed videocollage (VJing) dealing with the current situation on the real estate and furniture market, relevant financial and social problematics, questions on sustainable building materials and strategies as well as themes auch as (over)consumption or philosophy of habitation. Also electronically recycled are being sound samples from the processing of material as well as from on-site conversations, forming a rhythmical background of the event – a working song.
In the evening, when the »unit« is finished, all the interested people are invited into or in front of it, maybe even some homeless person is offered an alternative resting place and a glass of wine. The builders chat with guests, maybe finding out new good ways of reusing old furniture or refurnishing the interiors, a debate about alternative strategies of habitation may spring up. A constitutive part of the action is also facing up with the minicipal trash-company that will probably destroy the structure the next day and take it to the city dump – but in the best case scenario the building is not recognised as bulky waste and is left to its urban existance...
www.ppp-podgana.tk , 2005