"Validity Period" is a photo project implemented in June-August 2021 in the city of Krakow, Poland. Over three months, the authors visited local municipal waste points. This project addresses current issues of ecology, overproduction, and materialism. Items that were once valued and served generations have been replaced by the era of "disposable consumption". Using discarded objects, the authors created installations intended to evoke the atmosphere of home life. Since garbage is often associated with something dirty and repulsive, the emergence of such mock comfort immediately attracted the attention of random passersby. Each shoot turned into a performance: some watched with interest and took photos, while others laughed, and a few threatened to call the police. However, the majority pretended not to notice anything. Materialism serves as a filler for existential voids. Acquiring more and more new things momentarily gives the illusion of improvement and becomes the norm. Often, these items have a short validity period, both literally and metaphorically. Large corporations and mass culture only exacerbate this issue. Advertisements and social pressure encourage people to constantly buy new things, creating the illusion that it is the only way to achieve happiness. This photo project was completed before the commencement of the full-scale Russian war against Ukraine. The authors express their gratitude for the opportunity to present their work on the topic of consumerism and ecology. They would also like to emphasize that there is now a more urgent threat in the form of Russian imperialism. The authors call for a boycott of all Russian culture. Even if it mimics "independent" and "oppositional" culture, it consciously or unconsciously contributes to whitewashing the international image of Russia and retouching its true portrait.
