A Picnic Rug for the Anthropocene

A Picnic Rug for the Anthropocene looks at the immense profusion of waste materials produced by humanity, and by implication their effects on the environment. Landfill, pollution, dumping, litter – with detrimental environmental effects ranging from the aesthetic to the ecocidal – are massive and increasing problems.

In this case, collected UHT milk cartons, diverted from the recycling bin, flattened and “topped-and-tailed”, become cylinders. Cut into spirals, the cylinders then become two and a half metre long ribbons of laminated plastic, metal foil and cardboard, with sharply pointed ends. Woven together, 127 cartons – the sole material used – become a fringed floor-mat, a magic carpet, a picnic rug.

A Picnic Rug for the Anthropocene suggests an alternative, the use and re-cycling of humanity’s waste materials into something useful, allowing us to enjoy time spent in nature without destroying it.