Miss Understood & Mr. Meanor
Tim Noble and Sue Webster, 1997, trash and personal items, wood, light projector, light sensor, 60 x 70 x 140 cm, © 1997, courtesy of the artists
Tim Noble and Sue Webster
Tim Noble and Sue Webster are London-based artists whose work combines assemblage, light, shadow and humor. They aggregate objects and debris into self-deprecating works that bridge two realities. At first glance, we see jumbled piles of trash, the familiar by-products of a throw-away society. The piles evoke the aftermath of a binge, the hangover from a party that went on too long. We soon discover, however, that the piles are in fact precise constructions that cast crisp, figurative shadows under directed light. The trash and detritus in these works is real and immediate; it is in our face, a rejection of our usual “out of sight, out of mind” approach to waste management. And by shining a light on these “anti-monuments,” the artists literally expose the people who are behind this mess. The silhouettes we see are masterful self-portraits and a confession of the artists’ own role in the rubbish revolution. But these projections also symbolize the elusiveness of accountability, as our brains struggle to perceive the trash piles as the culmination of the small choices we make every day. Throughout their careers, the artists have collected the cast offs of others, building a stockpile of broken furniture, stepladders, crates, and other discarded goods. They salvaged these items for unknown future uses, refusing to acknowledge them as waste. And as they transform these rescued items into increasingly-abstract and spatial feats of portraiture, they give us hope that ingenuity and creative reuse can light the path to human progress.
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Dirty White Trash (With Gulls)
Tim Noble and Sue Webster, 1998, 6 months’ worth of artists’ trash, 2 taxidermy seagulls, light projector, dimensions variable © 1998, courtesy of the artists
In order to create this work, the artists saved six months worth of their trash. How much trash do you generate in a six-month period? Measuring the amount of trash you send to the landfill is a great first step towards reducing it. As we attempt to become a “zero waste” society, we may find ourselves looking back to the future. According to this article posted by United Nations University, the Aztec civilization pioneered many zero-waste systems and employed intensive recycling of nutrients, creative reuse of materials, and thoughtful management of resources.
Wasted Youth
Tim Noble and Sue Webster, 2000, trash, replica food, McDonalds packaging, wood, light projector, 210 x 134 x 66 cm, © 2000, courtesy of the artists
Food and beverage packaging is a major component of global pollution and a significant source of our carbon footprint. A recent report on food packaging by As You Sow and NRDC indicates that most major brands are lagging in the effort to use sustainable packaging. Many argue that the key to developing more sustainable packaging is to extend responsibility for a product’s full life cycle to the companies that produce it rather than placing the burden on consumers and municipal waste management systems. Learn more about the benefits of extended producer responsibility in this report.
Wild Mood Swings
Tim Noble and Sue Webster, 2009-2010, 2 wooden stepladders, discarded wood, light projector, dimensions variable © 2010, courtesy of the artists
From the biography of the artists: “The process of transformation, from discarded waste, scrap metal or even taxidermy creatures to a recognizable image, echoes the idea of ‘perceptual psychology’ a form of evaluation used for psychological patients. Noble and Webster are familiar with this process and how people evaluate abstract forms. Throughout their careers they have played with the idea of how humans perceive abstract images and define them with meaning. The result is surprising and powerful as it redefines how abstract forms can transform into figurative ones.” Zoom into the image to see the work under different lighting conditions.
The shadow works of Tim Noble and Sue Webster are a skillful play on human perception. Learn more about how the human brain constructs our perceptions in thisvideo on psychology.
Youngman
Tim Noble and Sue Webster, 2012, 1 wooden stepladder, discarded wood, light projector, 338.5 x 58 x 213.5 cm © 2012, courtesy of the artists
The Individual
Tim Noble and Sue Webster, 2012, 1 wooden stepladder, discarded wood, light projector, 299 x 69 x 193 cm © 2012, courtesy of the artists
“Wild Mood Swings,” “Youngman,” and “The Individual” were part of the artists’ 2012 exhibition entitled “Nihilistic Optimistic.” The title evokes the duality of their works, the push and pull of their creative process, and the complex dynamics of their artistic and personal relationship. It also describes the oscillation between frustration and hope that we experience as we try to transform our society into a sustainable one. Learn more about this exhibition in thisvideo interview with the artists. Zoom into the image to see more detail and an installation view (installation photo: Peter Mallet).
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The work of Tim Noble and Sue Webster addresses our attitude towards trash and reuse, and the perception of our role in generating consumer waste. If you are inspired by their work, you can take action in your own life. Select one or more pledges listed below and spread the word. You can also learn more by visiting our Pledge Center. Let’s #EndOvershoot and save our #OneEarth.