For Swifties the line between garbage and memorabilia is only about twenty five bucks.
Taylor Swift fans have bought friendship bracelets, vinyl variants, concert confetti…and now, wedding rubbish.
A New York artist has turned the leftovers from the streets surrounding Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding into the latest must-have piece of Swiftie memorabilia, and fans wasted no time snapping it up.
Justin Gignac, the artist behind New York City Garbage, collected discarded items from around Madison Square Garden on July 3, where the couple hosted their glamorous wedding celebration surrounded by celebrity guests.
The haul included everything from water bottle caps and straws to ring pop wrappers, police caution tape, utensils, a single left AirPod and even cigarette butts.
One particularly unexpected item, a discarded ovulation test kit, also found its way into the collection.
Gignac transformed the rubbish into “sculptures,” sealing each piece inside a small plastic cube and selling them individually for US$25
Swifties, unsurprisingly, did not hesitate.
Every item sold out within 24 hours, with Gignac making around US$1,250 from the first 50 pieces. He says he may release more in the future.
“It’s getting a lot of Swifties who just want a tangential piece of the wedding,” Gignac told AFP.
“I try to commemorate cultural moments in New York City, and this seemed to be a big one,” he said. “Just capturing a little time capsule from that moment in time.”
The artist also made it clear that the items did not come from inside the wedding venue.
Gignac collected the items from public streets outside Madison Square Garden’s security barriers, where fans gathered in hopes of catching a glimpse of the newlyweds.
Now, even the evidence left behind on the pavement has become part of the Swiftie universe.
Because when Taylor Swift is involved, apparently the line between garbage and memorabilia is only about $25.
