CES - Hanji '21

Hanji Xu’s CES, entitled Standing In the Trash Can: Art, Consumption, and the Environment, was a work in several parts. There was a musical composition of found sounds and spoken-word interview clips, a sculptural element in the form of a monolith and a representation of the Amazon rain forest, and a filmed performance piece in which Hanji positioned herself in a trash bin to gauge the impact of her presence on how people disposed of their waste in the dining hall.

 

Hanji further committed to her CES by adhering, mostly, to a vegetarian diet and restricting her purchases to strictly essential items. Her early environmental advocacy, in which she implored students and faculty to print double-sided, laid the foundation for her CES and her deep and personal commitment to the environment.