Our project began with the idea that we would construct an iceberg from aluminum foil and then cover the top layer in the trash. Throughout the course of our project, this idea has taken a turn for the better and we were able to construct an actual iceberg with frozen trash. The overarching idea of this iceberg is to symbolize that what we see on the surface is not always the truth on the inside, while also bringing light to the effects of human waste on our environments. When the ice melts and all the materials reside to the floor of the base, people will see the real conditions that our planet has been facing all along and hopefully make efforts to reduce their own waste.

Davin Brief:

The Trashberg is a time changing project intended to represent the rapidly changing world whose once healthy and thriving ecosystems have plummeted into an uncertain future. The effects of human impact are to be examined and dealt with in order to bring change throughout the world. Making the project out of ice we are able to hide all signs of human disturbance such as trash until the piece is fully melted, this would give a perspective on the true reality that the earth is facing. 

The sculpture is designed to captivate the viewer with its gigantic trash-filled bundle of ice whose crisp edges represent a lively, healthy object; yet, as the ice begins to melt over time, pieces of scrap tinfoil and plastic bits will begin to poke out of the sides and drop to the ground. By the end of the exhibit, there will be nothing left but a wet floor and stray pieces of waste.

Though the project was successful in its final product the overall process made we question the outcome. We ran mostly into the issue of building a base that would be able to hold the heavy weight of the ice. We constructed a prototype that fit the ice into a wooden box, yet, this seemed to block the viewer from seeing the leftover garbage. Finally, we found a metal rod and a weighted base that sturdily held up the ice.

Viewers will no longer be able to ignore the pervasive but often hidden presence on the planet of human waste, particularly plastic waste. The hope is to change people's attitudes toward the endangered climate and to make them more make them more aware of the environmental impact of their daily actions. 

Zoe F Brief:

The TrashBerg is a temporary art installation that urges society to rethink its  impact on the earth and oceans. The world’s oceans are exponentially rising as a result of melting ice, due to global warming. This poses a threat to all life, human and non-human. The oceans are also filling with pollution, such as fishing gear, micro plastics, and other human trash that kills millions of sea animals, driving some species to the point of extinction. People continue to turn a blind eye to these problems, and TrashBerg's goal is to change that.

The ice sculpture is anchored to a sand-filled base by means of a metal rod, which is secured to a weight beneath the sand and then frozen to the ice. The wooden base was laser-cut with notches, glued together, and painted blue to resemble the ocean; the sand is designed to absorb the liquid dripping from the melting ice. The mass of ice was made in several steps, which included freezing trash in small containers of water and ultimately freezing them together to create one large block of ice with trash evenly distributed throughout it. The ice was tempered, chiseled, and drilled into a shape resembling an iceberg.

A camera records in time-lapse the melting of the ice to reveal the layers of trash in the iceberg and show the articles of trash it releases, until there is a pile of trash on the sand. When the viewer sees the transformation of the TrashBerg, from a powerful block of ice to a pile of trash, they should recognize the impact on the environment of careless trash handling and of fossil fuel use that leads to climate change. TrashBerg is designed to show that the world has a lot of cleaning up to do.