ANNA TICHÁ

Landfills of the Present

Body Design Studio

Your work explores the issue of landfills. You see them not only as physical dumping grounds for waste, but also consider the landfills we find in the human psyche. What exactly do you mean by that?
I use landfills, or dumps, as a motif of something that is an integral part of us and cannot simply be removed. They represent post-pain, embodying the experiences and sensations of other bodies and symbolizing the process of coming to terms with our (global) past. On an abstract level, they serve as a kind of emblem for the state in which we remain, an external image of our internal reality.

What is the difference between a landfill and compost?
I would rather focus on the difference between a landfill and composting,which I view in my work as both a metaphor and a material practice. According to theorist Donna J. Haraway, composting consists of the de- composition of old categories and structures, giving rise to new life from waste and crisis. It calls for shared survival and collaboration across species. 
However, in this era of late-capitalist crisis, when this theory has not yet become global practice, I am still seeing just a hill of landfill instead of a compost pile. For me, the term dump is a metaphor for the physical and psychological environment on the planet, damaged by human activity.

Your graduate work is quite monumental: what technique did you use and what materials does it consist of? What meanings do they convey?
My work uses 90 kilograms of leftover warp threads which are waste materials from a factory that produces decorative and upholstery fabrics. I used sewing to create a nine-meter-long tapestry suspended in space. The material itself carries many lyrical meanings and layers for me; it is a symbol of constant reproduction, as well as a romantic object reflecting the present day.

photo: Polina Davydenko