““The experience of being at Revolution Recovery on a daily basis has definitely made me value the role of field work more in both my practice and teaching.””
Ang Li conducted a series of experiments in conceptual building, exploring the relationship between physical inventory systems — rectangular bales of cardboard, plastic, and aluminum — and the economies of scale associated with the redistribution of waste across state and national boundaries. Li created a set of lightweight, imitation bales constructed from expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam — a material often used in building projects as a substrate or as a substitute for masonry construction. She sourced foam fragments from the tipping yard, built her own ‘baler’ from wire and wood, and painstakingly shrink-wrapped each bale of foam by hand. The resulting foam monoliths were staged as a material systems portrait series at Revolution Recovery’s Allentown facility. The piece, titled Balancing Act, illustrates the weight-to-volume relationships of the salvage industry and reflects on the afterlives of modern materials.
