Scraps

The work consists of eight objects. These are miniature collages enclosed in frames made from porcelain plates. The images depict potato peelings. I was inspired to create these objects by my grandmother’s wartime experiences. During her time in a German labour camp, she was saved from starvation by potato peelings, which she scavenged from farm animals.

It was this unassuming plant, cultivated in Laurentius Scholz’s 16th-century gardens and admired at the time for its flowers, that caught my eye in the museum. Its presence prompted me to reflect on how different parts of plants (or, more broadly, all kinds of resources) are valued depending on historical, cultural and economic conditions. Potatoes are not visually represented in the museum. My intention was to elevate this useful tuber. However, I did not wish to refer to the aesthetic qualities of the potato, which were the reason for its inclusion in Scholz’s gardens. In my works, I highlight a part of the plant that is treated as waste, a remnant, yet which – according to a document compiled by the UN Information Centre in Warsaw – holds the potential to prevent future global hunger and malnutrition. Today we are faced with the need to redefine our thinking about leftovers and waste; we must appreciate their value and restore the respect they deserve. Maximising the use of resources is one of the strategies for survival.