Ever wondered how much trash you produce daily? Californian photographer, Gregg Segal, set out to show how trash is a big problem through imagery. “7 Days of Garbage” is the projects name and it shows people from different social economic backgrounds, wallowing in one week of their trash.
Some of his subjects volunteered while others were compensated to participate in the project. The amount of garbage varies for different people although some edited some of their trash. Others showed everything as it was leading to some very strong images. Segal transformed his yard using natural materials into artificial environments. There is a forest floor, a sandy beach and a body of water where all his subjects were photographed. He hoped that the photographs would help people think about what they consume.
“Obviously, the series is guiding people toward a confrontation with the excess that’s part of their lives. I’m hoping they recognize a lot of the garbage they produce is unnecessary,” he told Slate. “It’s not necessarily their fault. We’re just cogs in a machine and you’re not culpable really but at the same time you are because you’re not doing anything, you’re not making any effort. There are some little steps you can take to lessen the amount of waste you produce.”
He explained on his artist statement that “7 Days of Garbage is a series of portraits of friends, neighbors, and other acquaintances with the garbage they accumulate in the course of a week. Subjects are photographed surrounded by their trash in a setting that is part nest, part archeological record. We’ve made our bed and in it we lie.”
