Daniel Firman. Plastic Confetti

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Using detritus found on the streets of New York, Firman offers a glimpse of the fossils of our future. “Plastic confetti” evokes the ghostly remnants of human activity and points to the perpetual accumulation of discarded material humans impose on the environment. On view through June 15th, this is Firman’s first solo show in New York and debut with Ceysson & Bénétière.
These masses of discarded materials are not simply collected; rather, Firman configures, bends, and paints the objects to create fusions reminiscent of plastiglomerates—the result of sand, pebbles, basalts, and plastic being melted together. In this transformation, the objects become devoid of their original functions and forever linked to each other, presenting a significant departure from Firman’s previous body of work—the Gathering series—where the found objects remain intact. Nothing can be reclaimed or repurposed. This highlights Firman’s concern with the separation between body and object, between human activity and nature, something which is no longer possible.
What emerges is a series of imposing constructions whose authoritative presences intervene in our physical and psychological space. The large scale structures cause us to second guess our movements and put limitations on our physical agency within a space. The impositions they place on us act like mirrors and, as we move through the exhibition, we are alert and aware of how the objects we leave behind never really leave us.