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On ungrounded ground: a poet in residence at the dump

Wedgwood Clarke, John

Authors

John Wedgwood Clarke



Abstract

‘On ungrounded ground’ reflects upon a writer’s yearlong ‘residency’ at a landfill site and resource recovery facility. The article explores the significance of contemporary waste management within an archaeological, ecological and geological context. It reflects upon the psychological and aesthetic impact of rubbish, and describes some of the challenges faced by a writer trying to describe an object that contains so much contemporary, ephemeral material culture. How should they begin to decipher this monument constructed from the dark matter of late-consumer capitalism? The article suggests that the dump ultimately passes beyond the power of metonymic representation and remains other to the text that tries to represent it. It also asserts that the dump is an intense combination of natural and man-made processes. Referencing Val Plumwood’s concept of the ‘shadow place’, it identifies the dump as a hidden landscape upon which our celebration of natural landscapes and places depends. Quotes from interviews with staff and visitors to the dump are included, and, despite the impossibility of representing the dump, an attempt is made to give a taste of the physical, emotional and intellectual impact of spending time at the site.

Citation

Wedgwood Clarke, J. (2015). On ungrounded ground: a poet in residence at the dump. Journal of Writing in Creative Practice, 8(2-3), 109-125 . https://doi.org/10.1386/jwcp.8.2-3.109_1

Journal Article Type Article
Publication Date Jun 1, 2015
Deposit Date Aug 12, 2016
Publicly Available Date Mar 28, 2024
Journal Journal of writing in creative practice
Print ISSN 1753-5190
Publisher Intellect
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 8
Issue 2-3
Pages 109-125
DOI https://doi.org/10.1386/jwcp.8.2-3.109_1
Keywords Landscape, Poetry, Ecology, Nature, Landfill, Waste-management, Edgelands, Shadow places
Public URL https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/442148
Publisher URL http://www.ingentaconnect.com/contentone/intellect/jwcp/2015/00000008/F0020002/art00002
Additional Information This is the authors accepted manuscript of an article published in: Journal of writing in creative practice, 2015, v.8 issue 2-3.

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