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Abstract

The Aesthetical Possibilities of Waste: Collage, Bricoleurs, and Environmental Debate in Inger and Lasse Sandberg’s 1960s Picturebooks
 This article examines the picturebooks Lilla spöket Laban (The Little Ghost Laban, 1965), Vad lilla Anna sparade på (What Little Anna Saved, 1965), Pojken med de många husen (The Boy with the Many Houses, 1968) and Filurstjärnan (The Filur Star, 1969) by Inger and Lasse Sandberg from a waste-oriented perspective. The theoretical framework originates from waste studies, a growing field of cultural analysis that focuses on trash, decay, and toxic sites. The article argues that the Sandbergs’ works can be read as a critique of life in the Wasteocene, an era marked by waste production, overconsumption, and environmental degradation. During the 1960s and 1970s, Inger and Lasse Sandberg develop a waste aesthetics that challenge the Wasteocene logic by foregrounding leftover pieces and imperfect objects. Firstly, the article presents an analysis of the collage technique in Sandbergs’ works, mainly in Lilla spöket Laban. Secondly, it examines the bricoleur motif in Vad lilla Anna sparade på and Pojken med de många husen. Finally, the environmental theme in Filurstjärnan is explored. The article concludes that Inger and Lasse Sandberg’s picturebooks highlight and transcend the Wasteocene logic in terms of both form and content. The waste aesthetics and environmental motifs challenge the dualistic narrative of the capitalist system by questioning the hierarchical division between commodity and trash, the beautiful and the ugly, the amateur and the professional. The picturebooks can thus be read as counter-narratives advocating an alternative view of value and beauty.