Emily’s piece in Untilted focuses on critiquing throw-away society by exposing real-life scenes of excessive rubbish.
She presented a “model village” representation of her local, urban Leeds environment where excessive waste is a clear problem. This display plays on the historical concept of a “model village” being a community with high-quality housing and an attractive physical environment, while her version is being consumed by litter that will ultimately go to landfill. By including recognisable terrace buildings, she presents a visual of over-consumption in a relatable context and points out how this issue is quite literally close to home. Her model depicts litter and grime, it contains a sense of hostility to put across the socio-political issues involved in throw-away society, despite its whimsical appearance at first glance.
Emily’s work is intended to urge individuals to take action on their environmental impact by consuming less and refusing short-lived goods. Recognisable packaging and the Leeds City Council logo both appear in her work to call out corporate involvement in environmental issues.
