WorkArt & Culture

A luminous, dystopian dark forest made entirely from a week of non-recyclable trash

Clare Celeste Börsch's latest body of work, Swan Song, is equal parts luminous and dystopian – a dark forest made entirely of non-biodegradable and single-use plastics and packaging.

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Illuminated green and pink straws arranged to resemble glowing plants in Clare Celeste Börsch's Swan Song installation, made from recycled single-use plastics and packaging

Created from a week's worth of "trash collection", including discarded ECE foam packaging and hundreds of straws, the American artist felt it sobering to see how easily the material for the installation was amassed. The title is supposed to be open-ended: is the Swan Song for single-use plastics or for the Anthropocene?

Based in Berlin, Clare Celeste Börsch has been assimilating to different cultures and environments her entire life – having lived in Brazil, the US, Italy, Honduras, Argentina, and Germany. Rich with texture and detail, each composition pays tribute to her capacity to transform her archive of experiences into hallucinogenic ecosystems of their own. Discover more at: www.clareceleste.com.

Luminous blue and green lights glow amongst tangled strands of discarded plastic waste and packaging in Clare Celeste Börsch's Swan Song installation
Clare Celeste Börsch's Swan Song installation showing illuminated green and pink straws and foam packaging arranged like glowing plants against a dark background
Luminous blue plastic flowers and stems glow against a black background in Clare Celeste Börsch's Swan Song installation made from recycled waste materials
Luminous blue and turquoise swan-like forms made from discarded single-use plastics and packaging glowing against a black background
Clare Celeste Börsch's Swan Song installation featuring illuminated non-recyclable plastic waste arranged into an ethereal forest form with purple, blue and green lighting against a black background
Clare Celeste Börsch's Swan Song installation features illuminated translucent plastic leaves and packaging suspended against a black background, creating a luminous forest effect from recycled waste materials
A glowing forest of neon green and blue illuminated plastic waste and packaging creates an otherworldly tunnel effect against a dark background
Luminescent green sculptural forms made from non-recyclable plastic waste glow against a dark background in Clare Celeste Börsch's Swan Song installation
Neon green and blue straws and plastic packaging glowing against a dark background in Clare Celeste Börsch's Swan Song installation
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