Ottawa photographer turns trash into artistic treasure

Ottawa artist Joyce Cragoturned her back on a legal career to make trashy art. Literally.

Crago'slatest exhibition, Flotsam,is a series ofcolour photographs of garbage.

"Taking garbage and hopefully making something cool out of itbringsorder to it," Cragoobserved.

The series, currently on display at Exposure Gallery on Wellington Street West, draws on the diverse and sometimes strange stuff people toss away at such events as Donald Trump's inauguration inWashington D.C.

There she found a Lifesaver candy on a string, a cigarette butt in a holder and a baked potato.

"Who leaves that behind?" Cragoasked.

Visual appeal

Sometimes Cragoassembles theobjects to form a personal commentary on the events themselves. Sometimes the arrangements simplyappealto her visually.

Her photographtitled The Basics (Inauguration Screw You)features thatpotato, some screwsand American coins.

Another pair of photographs, assembled from objects Cragopicked up after the women's march against Trump, includes a sock, scraps of anti-National Rifle Association pamphletsand feathers. The result, called Pink, isarranged in one of the photos to resemble a question mark.

Cragosaid that was intentional, meant to capture the prevailing mood after the event:"What's going to happen next?"

Crago said even though she might have her own ideas about each piece, it's ultimately up to viewers to derive their own meaning from the photographs.

"I want to make a connection, but I don't want to tell them what to say."

Dumpster diving

Cragosaid she's always been fascinated bygarbage, andadmits not all her finds end up in a gallery.

"I found my best pair of jeans on Albert Street on a January day,"she chuckled.

On one occasion,her trash collecting turned hazardous whenshe fell back into a commercial dumpsterafter gathering garbage.

Cragomanaged tomake her way out, and the end result was a photograph ofa nest of nails, screws and a coffee filter.

"I photographto understand. I used to be a lawyer and words were my go-to, to understand,and now it's photographs," saidCrago."I think you understand intuitively"