Imprint makes the case that Aesthetic Apparatus...

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[Background on, & press coverage of, Unconsumption can be found here and here.]

Consumption is a word used to describe acts of acquisition – generally, the acquisition of things, in exchange for money.

Unconsumption is a word used to describe everything that happens after an act of acquisition.

Unconsumption is an invisible badge.

Unconsumption means the accomplishment of properly recycling your old cellphone, rather than the guilt of letting it sit in a drawer.

Unconsumption means the thrill of finding a new use for something that you were about to throw away.

Unconsumption means the pleasure of using a service like Freecycle (or Craigslist, Goodwill, or Salvation Army) to find a new home for the functioning DVD player you just replaced, rather than throwing it in the garbage.

Unconsumption means enjoying the things you own to the fullest – not just at the moment of acquisition.

Unconsumption means the pleasure of using a pair of sneakers until they are truly worn out – as opposed to the nagging feeling of defeat when they simply go out of style.

Unconsumption means feeling good about the simple act of turning off the lights when you leave the room.

Unconsumption is not about the rejection of things, or the demonization of things. It’s not a bunch of rules.

Unconsumption is an idea, a set of behaviors, a way of thinking about consumption itself from a new perspective.

Unconsumption is free.

CONTRIBUTORS:

Founder & Editor: Rob Walker, journalist, Savannah, GA

Editorial & Community Manager: Molly Block, marketing and business development geek, Houston, TX

Brian W. Jones, designer & writer, Göteborg, Sweden

Kashvi Kumar, Environmental Studies and Economics major at New York University

Deirdre Nelson, ever threading artist, Glasgow, Scotland

Shanna Trenholm, writer. catalyst. force of nature. San Diego, CA

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Alumnus & Unconsumption logo creator: Clifton Burt, graphic designer, Portland, OR

Further information about Unconsumption can be found here.

3:45 pm - Wed, Aug 22, 2012: 14 notes

High-Res

Imprint makes the case that Aesthetic Apparatus are “putting a new spin on up-cycling.”

Seeking inspiration for a workshop, the duo, revered creators of band posters and brand identities alike, began collecting trash along Minneapolis’s Midtown Greenway, a 5.5-mile bicycle and pedestrian path. Ibarra and Byzewski took the litter they gathered—plastic shopping bags, public-transit transfer cards, and foil chip pouches—and created collages that they subsequently silk-screened.

One piece from the ongoing project, titled “Greenway Clean-up Collection Collage” (above), juxtaposes the remains of a crumpled Marlboro cigarette pack with frayed candy wrappers. In its forensic, slightly abstracted framing of packaging detritus, the piece feels like an homage to Pop Art.

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On a practical level, the project raises awareness about litter while simultaneously reducing trash in the Greenway. And sales of the limited-edition prints benefit the Midtown Greenway Coalition, an advocacy organization that helped to build the path.

More at: Still Life with Trash