the medusas

in 2019, my professor presented us with odorless, pre-cleaned trash for a studio installation on litter. in 2026, my Medusa project in Tangier emerged from the wetlands themselves: i collected waste with Dana Wait - seeing, smelling, and experiencing the pollution firsthand.

witnessing the community’s gratitude, learning of snakes trapped in bottles from Abdou Benattabou, and seeing the snails living among plastic, gave new detail to my understanding of this crisis. rather than confining these "trash-medusas" to a white cube, i situating them with a view of the ocean, where they belong.

globally, plastic trash has become so ubiquitous that it often fades into the background of our perception. much like in the Malabata Wetlands, where grass has grown up, around, and into discarded plastic, our collective consciousness has grown up, around, and through the pervasive presence of litter. drawing on the contextual strategies of Michael Asher and David Hammons, i use the Medusas to compel viewers to look twice at waste. the Medusas offer a new narrative, challenging us to break the cycle of littering.

i specifically selected plastic water bottles for two reasons: they are the most prevalent litter, and as Katie Beer of Redeeming Plastics notes, they are among the hardest to recycle due to their three distinct plastic components (bottle, label, and lid). by giving these objects a new context, the Medusas transform society’s waste into a call for action.

my work is dedicated to coming to a collective recognition that we already possess the agency to enact the changes we wish to see, especially when working together.

here you can see fellow artisteducator and dancer Fintan O’hara moving with the trash medusa i made upon our return to the Netherlands.

this play with material, movement, and sound was a great way to say goodbye to this project and these creatures.