Branded Trash: (In)Voluntary Product Displacement
(In)Voluntary Product Displacement // Iteration #04 // City Wide (non)exhibition
a project by Enrico Policardo
Branded Trash: (In)voluntary Product Displacement – Iteration #4 – City-wide Exhibition in Gorizia
Branded Trash explores the intersection of consumer culture, advertising, and waste, focusing on how branded litter scattered across city streets or rural areas becomes an involuntary and omnipresent form of advertising. The project photographs various types of discarded objects branded with corporate logos, challenging viewers to reconsider the invisibility of waste in urban spaces and highlighting a paradox: even trash, before being elevated to the status of billboards, serves as genuine advertising.
By subtly integrating itself into the urban landscape, the exhibition blurs the lines between public space, advertising, and art, aiming to provoke reflection among passersby on the roles of consumers and companies in the waste cycle.
This iteration will be spread throughout the city, starting on 4th October 2024 and culminating between 17th and 18th October 2024 during the ReThinkable Festival, with the unveiling of a final large-scale billboard on Via Formica. This billboard will serve as the visual opener, with the installation being treated as a performance in itself.
The final act of the billboard installation, carried out by a team of public workers, becomes a crucial part of the exhibition. This “performance” is a deliberate nod to the invisible labour involved in installing advertising, serving as a metaphor for how we overlook waste in daily life. By turning this mundane task into a spectacle, the exhibition asks viewers to reconsider the value and visibility of both waste and advertising. This act will be documented and will form a critical part of the exhibition’s narrative.
Stop Telling Me to Buy Crap
As consumers, we are often involved in the process of producing waste, but companies bear a significant responsibility in the lifecycle of their products. This project highlights the fact that waste is a passive and insidious form of advertising, freely granted to companies as a byproduct of consumerism. It challenges viewers to confront this reality, exposing the hidden costs of our throwaway culture.
Product displacement refers to the practice of replacing or mimicking real brands and products in media, such as films, TV shows, or art, to avoid trademark issues, provide social commentary, or critique consumer culture. Unlike product placement, where real brands pay to appear, product displacement involves fictionalised or parodied representations. These often serve to highlight social issues tied to consumption or brand influence, maintaining a critical distance from direct corporate involvement.
Previous Exhibitions
- Kensington & Chelsea Art Week (KCAW 2020): The project debuted at KCAW’s Little Voices, an event focused on climate change and social inequalities. 1
- Climate Action & Visual Culture: The work expanded into a more academic exploration at the University of Huddersfield as part of the Climate Action & Visual Culture programme. 1// 2
- Branded Trash Book (2022): A photographic book was published, blending images, reflections, and textual commentary on the project. 1
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The project is produced in collaboration with the ReThinkable Festival and funded with the support of Regione Friuli Venezia-Giulia, Italy
ReThinkable Festival
Regione Friuli Venezia-Giulia
