Items explores the notion of value around objects commonly seen as valueless. Visual artist, Adrian Duchateau collects useless and meaningless items to reconfigure their value by forcing them to withstand a pristine aesthetic canvas. These images aim to build a poetic or fantastic narrative around the objects to convey different feelings and/or stories for the spectator, thus increasing the appreciative value of such meaningless objects. Duchateau’s photographic exercise requires some sculptural and installation work that only exists through photography, as these objects can only be appreciated because they exist through the photographic medium.

Every day consumption is surrounded by disposable items which become trash once their one-time instant use is fulfilled. These items are a burden for the planet and its invaluable resources due to their mass production and immediate disposal. Single-use objects are deemed meaningless due to their single-use nature, but their existence and overly common use are a statement of society’s unsustainable consumption, which disregards the impact on (and the needs of) the ecosystem that sustains all life.

Items seeks to be an evaluation of what can be appreciated as valuable. If meaningless objects or discarded trash can become an aesthetic experience, then there can be a shift in our perspective about what we cherish. This possibility extends to our capability for cultural change that can modify the established consumption order that has our world on the brink of irreversible damage.