Merz from behind the bins collated onto packaging and pink wax - experiment 2. 2020
Merz; a chance term found and created by German
artist Kurt Schwitters.
Derived from the word KOMMERZ,
a German word meaning commerce.
Merz is the abjection of consumer-capitalist society.
Merz is walked over and left behind.
Merz is unseen unless you look for it.
Merz from behind the bins on Edward road 2020
'Merzzing' Practice:
Merzzing is collecting with intention, not by chance. I go outside and walk with a small sandwich bag, I choose one street and mark the bag with the date and the street name, I then collect any discarded items that will fit into the sandwich bag. I have a merzzing storage box which holds my 'merz' catalogue.
Inspired by the work of Ivan Chtcheglov and his essay; Formulary for a new urbanism which considers mapping space in terms of emotion, I realized that any place, any location, could be mapped by the human detritus that can be found there. The rubbish we produce leaves behind maps which describe our individual habits and the practices and culture of our communities and societies.
I developed 'Merzzing' as a way to formalize my natural inclinations to collect and to develop a more disciplined approach to my unencumbered proneness to bring home other peoples rubbish (See accumulations).
Merz collection in a sandwich bag 2021
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Waste littered in Canterbury. 2019.
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A Merz sculpture (Big blue) created for my degree show 2021.
See more Merz sculptures here.
During a walk in Canterbury I came upon an abandoned track, behind some residential homes, entirely littered with discarded items. These are a selection of the photographs I took of site. 2019.
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