Venerable Trash

Shortlisted for the 2022 Pro Hart Outback Art Prize

Statement
These ceramic shards were excavated from the Broken Hill Council rubbish tip by so-called 'dump diggers'. They pre-date the 1924 closure of the tip.

The shard-relics speak of an imported culture — crockery used by the miners and their families, and their shared human experience on an unfamiliar soil. I believe they also shed light on more than 800 accidental mining deaths and the related struggles of the trade union movement.

The macro photography subverts notions of scale and domestic intimacy as the shards repose within the landscape. The cracked glazes and ragged edges echo the outback raw aesthetic, and allude to the ongoing challenging narratives of Broken Hill.

Dimensions
Variable.

Materials
Vintage ceramic shards from Broken Hill Council rubbish tip, Blu Tack.

Photography
Felicity Jenkins

Printing
Warren Macris from High Res Digital.

Acknowledgements
With thanks to Michael Mullins and The Sydney BAG (Book Art Group).