Post Millenium Plastic

Nerina Wilter

Post Millennium Plastic
2005

Post Millennium Plastic is an installation reminiscent of Nerina Wilter's former plastic waste collecting activities.

After the Millennium New Years Eve festivities on the 1st January 2000, the artist collected all the plastic waste she could find on Leopoldstrasse between Münchener Freiheit and Siegestor. A stretch of Munich real estate approximately 1.2 km long, which the night before had been one of the main scenes of Munich's Millennium celebrations.

The result was a colourful pile of 730 plastic objects; firework caps, lighters, party poppers and other curiosities. Proof that, alone here, on this small stretch of road, at least 667 fireworks were shot into the night to celebrate the new millennium!

In a procedure usually reserved for the preservation of beautiful or precious objects, Nerina Wilter has immortalised her collection of post millennium plastic in 585 resin sculptures. This work endeavours to subvert the associations we have with these worthless objects, taking them out of their normal (dys)functional cycles and raising them to the uncomfortable position of art. A provocative procedure aiming to challenge our values of beauty, worth and consumption.