This installation transforms the gallery space into an interactive environment, where the sculpture’s components—die-cut from discarded paper, styrofoam, and plastic found on Jersey City sidewalks—are dispersed across the floor. Each piece, cut into the shape of a leaf of a local tree species, shows how overlooked beauty and unique textures can be found in waste materials.

Visitors are invited to sweep the leaves around the gallery floor with two push brooms. Walking around the room leads one to discover and delight in the varied different textures, details, and provenances of the cut leaves. They are made from lotto tickets, newspapers, bubble wrap, cardboard, homework, caution tape, food packaging, and more.

The scattered leaves represent a natural mantle of fallen leaves, which serve to nourish the soil, sequester carbon, and provide shelter for wildlife. The work invites reflection on our human-centric value system, particularly in municipal landscape management, as fallen leaves are routinely collected and removed from urban spaces. This piece explores how waste, often hidden or ignored, can be both a burden and a resource.

Special thanks to Abeeha Fareed and the students of Alexandra Chang’s Fall 2023 Eco-Art class at Rutgers Newark for their assistance on this project.