Space of Waste

Space of Waste is a stop-motion animation portrait of trash rooms in Vienna. “Müllräume” (in german) are rooms that exist in many Viennese apartment buildings to house the containers in which people dispose of their domestic trash: polarizing spaces, rich in intriguing social concepts that extend beyond waste management, deeply entwined with fundamental notions of community, privacy, and belonging. Entering them can be a confrontation with the results of our consumption.
Working frame by frame, we dove into the topic of waste, looking at trash rooms as symbolic spaces of how we deal, emotionally and physically, with the matter we produce, both as individuals and as a city. "Waste and waste-disposal practices contribute to an aesthetic order that places not only things, but also individuals, on symbolic scales of cleanliness, worthiness, and belonging.” (Laura Moisi, 2016)
It's crucial to reconsider the spaces and systems around us, paying attention to the messages they convey, who is being listened to, and who is even allowed inside them. Trash rooms, through their design, laws, and rules communicate expectations and shape the Viennese relationship with cleanliness.