Trashformations

Our consumer driven society places merit on items that are useful to us in our everyday lives, only as long as they serve our wants and needs. Once items deliver their potential value to us, i.e. candy wrappers, plastic sandwich bags, junk mail, empty soda cans -- they take on a patina of refuse, something dirty and vile. Our reaction -- to throw these items away and rid ourselves of their spent promises -- is learned as children and we carry it with us the rest of our lives. Indeed, ordinary objects are designed to become obsolete.