Postnatural Remains            Research, Exhibition2025
The first section of this multimedia installation explores the phenomenon of illegal waste dumping in Southern Italy. In particular, it highlights the unlawful actions of local citizens and criminal organizations who, for over thirty years, have contributed to the devastation of ecosystems and the loss of biodiversity through illegal waste disposal and burning practices. This first descriptive video illustrates the legislations used by the Italian government to combat these environmental crimes. This film shows how even the illegal disposal of a single object can activate a complex chain of environmental crimes, underlining the seriousness and scale of the problem.

The second section presents a series of archival images collected during my field research conducted between July and December 2024. When an object is illegally disposed of —or worse, burned or buried—it triggers a series of physical processes that lead to its transformation, degradation, and interaction with the surrounding environment. Over time, these objects may even become future fossil remains. 
The aim of this part of the installation is to invite the audience to zoom in and closely observe the micro and hidden traces left behind by waste—making visible and tangible those phenomena and details that often go unnoticed at first glance.

The third section presents the most significant finding collected during the field research: a beehive built by bees inside an aluminum container. This artifact offers a tangible and  striking example of how nature is attempting to adapt to waste, creating a form of coexistence that is, unfortunately, toxic and dangerous for the survival of local biodiversity.

Considering the option that an object could be disposed into the environment and it will decay, this project aims to be a mediator to ask the questions: How could a non-harmful and non-toxic coexistence be possible between non-human agents of the local ecosystem and household waste? How waste can instead be designed to form new habitats and sources of nutrients for multiple species, with the aim of preserving local biodiversity?

The fourth and final section of this installation aims to explore new narratives for building possible non-harmful forms of cohabitation through the redesign of discarded objects. In this section, the deisgn proposal invites to reimagine discarded objects not as pollutants, but as tools for ecological support and regeneration. Set within an environment deeply impacted by waste, the project envisions new possibilities for creating safe spaces that support the prosperity and preservation of local biodiversity.

Gigi TotaroEmail: gigi.totaro5@gmail.com