Jun 27, 2014 6:30 AM

Gallery: Monuments Made of Trash Remind Us to Treat Earth More Kindly

Photos by Jeremy Underwood
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Jeremy Underwood's ongoing photo series Human Debris repurposes found trash into site-specific sculptures.
Photos by Jeremy Underwood
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The sculptures can take several days to produce. After the final shutter click, they're left to be removed or rot away.

Photos by Jeremy Underwood
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Some of the sculptures imitate organic forms---this structure was inspired by a shell Underwood found on the beach.
Photos by Jeremy Underwood
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Underwood built the sculptures without any formal background in construction or fabrication. "It is an organic process," he says, "With lots of failures. But once in a while, everything comes together in balance, form and concept. That is what makes it all worthwhile."

Photos by Jeremy Underwood
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Underwood first set about making the sculptures after moving to Houston three years ago, and discovering a particular beach where the garbage seemed to collect. Each image was shot at the same beach.
Photos by Jeremy Underwood
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Sometimes Underwood returns to find the sculptures have drawn a crowd. Other times they've been removed---at least in that case, the effect is essentially to remove trash from the beach.

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