Burdens: contemporary sculptural representation for job dignity and aesthetic valorization of the practice of social recycling

Abstract

Recycling exists, but remains invisible. It is mostly carried out by women who recover and sell materials obtained from garbage, contributing to waste mitigation. Their work, essential but undervalued, represents an unfair and insufficient remuneration for the sustenance of their homes. In this context, my proposal seeks to dignify the practice of recycling and to highlight its working conditions through a life-size female sculpture in an installation and deeply symbolic environment, conceived as a monument. The work is inspired by the experience of my mother, a base recycler in Cuenca for more than fifteen years, and represents thousands of women who constitute the main support of their families. The character pulls the load collected in eight hours of work, symbolizing not only the physical weight, but also the family, economic, social and emotional ones. The work invites us to reflect on the importance of this work, promoting a respectful view.