Back in 2011, photographer Antoine Repessé stopped throwing away his recyclable trash to make a point. Four years later he started turning that point into a powerful photo series he called '#365 Unpacked', which challenges us to rethink our role as consumers.
During the 4 year period, the Lille-based artist has accumulated over 70 cubic metres of trash: 1,600 milk bottles, 4,800 toilet rolls, and 800 kg (~1,750 lb) of newspapers, all of which he then separated for an even stronger visual impact: "I wanted to give an aesthetic dimension to my work,” he explains. “The choice of sorting the garbage gives a graphic effect. I tried to produce a perfect picture which evokes something disturbing.”
With his series, Antoine tackles the main obstacle for kickstarting the big changes in waste management or global warming – it’s how invisible these problems are in our day-to-day lives: “We’re often told about the quantity of waste we produce, but I think the impact of a picture can be more powerful than a ton of words,” remarks Repessé. “I hope my project can inspire change,” - and so do we.
