Gleaner Trash Books

Trash Books is a contemplation on our collective consumptive waste. Focusing on my personal waste as well as the practice of gleaning, salvaging, and collection, I created a series of work to repurpose and document what I have gleaned, both physically and informationally. The non-narrative documentative Trash Books are made completely from found materials, including many single use items I came across through the projects span, ink from the studio waste jar and lots of paper from the givetake. Through this work, I am exploring how trash can tell a story of a place, a person, a city, or a time. I hope through the handling of my books and sharing of zines, more folks can lean into the discovery and exploration of the material abundance all around us.

Ayla Ellenbogen

B.F.A. Printmaking 2025