New characters and narratives show up from the underground. Social decay influences utopia, of course.
Such a utopia was build in “Pink Flamingo’s”, controversial movie from 1972, where morbidity and the horrifying are taken to the absurd level using contrast.
Even if it is filmed in a realistic way (no special effects in a low budget film), the whole movie follows specific plot directions: to expose and by the end, it simply creates the visual metaphor needed to sustain Trash Art, because in visual arts, when you see trashy aspects, they are derived from existence per se. It´s a reminder that something must be done and it has nothing to do with magical thinking.
Artistic manifestations are reactions to reality, not the reverse, they catch the pulse of human behavior and register it…and when reality is registered, the grotesque simply shows up, it´s present in the daily news, easy to enlarge or exaggerate and by that create utopia, the escape.
The dirty reality highlighted in the film it´s a metaphor still to be discovered. I found it remarkable that in the central attention remains the symbol of the egg, a unit that, from one big perspective allows associations with hope of reconstruction and from another emerging perspective it accentuates the transformation idea, breaking the shell, developing.
Each of us is an Egg Man, an individuality that can be developed into fully functioning person. We just need to take care that our egg contains enough reliable information and remains strong, even if by nature it´s sensitive and vulnerable to everything that happens around.
Trash Art is not as abstract as it was in ´72. In our times, is a constant reminder that we must maintain the head anchored in reality, because trash comes in many forms, we produce it. Nowadays, technology makes it easy to observe physical pollution and also complicated nonfunctional mental constructs that manifest in groups and are quite dangerous.
A complicated mental construct searches for fast solutions, applied for appearances, like hiding the garbage under the carpet, an often human instinct to be seen in each culture and generation. This momentary problem solving style can easily skip the whole idea, that was initially cleaning and by that the action is useless. It doesn´t matter the number of people doing the same thing, if it´s not exposing the truth, as it is, it´s just kitsch mentality or second-hand ideas.
That´s why Trash Art is so important, it simply exposes real aspects of human existence, it shows up the filth, as it is and fights pollution and social taboo using hyperbola and comedy. Don´t skip it, grotesque is a part of us.
Now let´s take a closer look at the egg: viewed from the inside, is a perfect source of information and protection, but viewed from the outside, the egg means fragility, food source, changing matter.
An egg has different layers. It can be sensitive and vulnerable, to everything that happens around and at the same time anchored in reality. For sure it can became strong, yet not as much because of its shell, its nucleus is the base of transformation and finding new ways to adapt.
As contemporaneity doesn’t always know what to do with novelty or other ways of thinking, not yet identifiable human artistic manifestations can be represented as Trash Art, at least until they find their own category. A need to express is not a need to ignore, it´s an open invitation to debate and collaborate.
Trash Art has the capacity to accept what it´s been refused, if it says something or if it implies a social action. It can sustain recycling or social engagement and it´s a direct call to action.
Underground Art & Literature - open access to culture 