Large household waste

2001

One of the starting series of Karin borghouts. Large household waste waiting to be collected formed the subject of this photo series. For more than a year, Karin Borghouts went out to take pictures of large household waste put ready on the pavement by the people in her neighbourhood. The residents had no other aim than to stack their discarded furniture, broken household appliances and other rubbish as compactly as possible, for the convenience of the refuse collectors. That way, some of these stacks became veritable assemblages with a surrealist touch, objets trouvés. Each picture shows the objects frontally and in a neutral light. The strict framing creates a formal relationship between the objects and the background, which gives the false impression that these stacks are not accidental, but built purposefully in a certain spot from carefully selected objects. The series was exhibited in 17 cultural centers in Flanders (Belgium) with the title ‘Aan de deur gezet’ as part of the ‘Fotocircuit Vlaanderen’ (2002-2004).