Artist Talk // Shani Nottingham | Artefact of the Anthropocene

The bread tag, a common and mundane object (small, easily identifiable and observed) can present us with many insights and commentary on modern life – convenient, inexpensive, and routinely discarded. Yet their very existence neatly captures the narrative of single use disposable plastic which has shifted from being a wonder material created from post-petroleum waste products to something omnipresent, hyper abundant and deeply problematic.

Archaeology (defined simply as the study of human behaviours through the material culture humans create, use and discard) and specifically plastic archaeology, is assured as a field of study, because no society has ever discarded so much waste at such a rate and volume. Accordingly, the archaeology of plastic is also many things simultaneously – investigating an environmental crisis, development of material culture and the beginning of future archaeological deposits.

Artefact of the Anthropocene plays with the idea that one day disposable plastic bread tags would become “extinct’ as more sustainable solutions are found to replace them. This idea that they would become relics, artefacts and collectables sparked my interest to collect them and compile records about them. Their invasive nature, where they are found globally, their different shapes, attributes and characteristics.

This collection represents bread tags from a period of around 8 years, saved and sent to me by people from across the globe. There are specimens from 21 countries of varying ages and histories, dating back to the 1970’s through to recent cardboard specimens displayed as Wunderkammers or cabinets of curiosities. As an inherent bowerbird, I connected to this Sixteenth Century trend of gathering new, absurd and interesting objects and presenting them for personal pleasure but also for others to admire, telling stories about the world and its history. There is a satisfaction that comes with compiling a collection and organising it, with individual pieces becoming part of a larger collective that then forms a new narrative and context in a personal and historical sphere.

Artefact of the Anthropocene explores the intersection between modern archaeology, activism, environmental awareness, culture, art and creation in one thematic collection of the humble bread tag. Aiming to connect with audiences through nostalgia whilst highlighting the absurdity of designing demand for and then manufacturing single use items that last forever.