Traces

Like some of the other students , I especially like the Warhol article. I read his philosophy book and the diaries about 20 years ago. I can relate to this very much because I have trouble throwing (things) out and I collect lots of tchotchke. A few months ago I bought a 40 ft. long container to put on the property where I live. I also installed industrial metal shelves so I could organize the different (things ) in the container, and maximize the space. This was also an attempt to keep my living space empty so I could work and concentrate better. But in contrast to Warhol’s thoughts on" living next door to your dump", I want my possessions to be close by (in my back yard) , so I can use them when I need to.

He writes " I believe that everyone should live in one big empty space."
I couldn’t agree more, and after living in a tiny apartment in New York City for eight years where I was constantly rearranging (things ) so I could breathe; I always look for as much space as I can get.

In somewhat of a contradiction to some of the thoughts in the middle of the article like ("everything in your closet should have an expiration date.... - and once something passes its expiration date, you should throw it out.") ; the article ends with Warhol saying "but my other outlook is that I really do want to save things so they can be used again someday. {...} " Warhol was a notorious pacrat , but this article seems to show that he probably sometimes wished he did not have the urge to save everything and that he was conflicted. I remember one interview in some documentary about Warhol where one of his factory workers said he even would save the dirty wrapper from a McDonalds hamburger he had eaten. And that the factory workers had to secretly throw out tons of boxes of trash, trying to maintain order. And if Warhol would find out about this, he would become furious that his (things) were missing.