The artist earns $1,250 by selling cigarette butts, bottle caps, and AirPod headphones collected outside Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding; 50 antique items sold within 24 hours
As thousands of Swifties gathered outside Madison Square Garden hoping to catch a glimpse of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce on their wedding day, one man saw a completely different opportunity.New York artist Justin Gignac spent the evening collecting discarded trash left by fans.
Within a day, he turned trash into collectible art pieces that were sold online, earning him $1,250.According to Fast Company, Gignac collected trash left by fans outside Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding at Madison Square Garden on July 3, packed it into collectible acrylic cubes and sold the entire collection online within 24 hours.
Justin Gignac turned Taylor Swift’s wedding trash into art
Best known for his long-term project New York City Trash, Justin Gignac has spent nearly 25 years transforming everyday trash into collectible works of art.At Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding, he visited Madison Square Garden armed with gloves, a garbage collector, and wearing the tuxedo from his wedding.Instead of looking for celebrities, focus on what fans left out.His collection included bottle caps, cigarette butts, plastic utensils, straws, police caution tape, Ring Pop cases, and even his one AirPod.Gignac stressed that every piece of public streets outside the security perimeter was captured.
Nothing came from inside the wedding venue.
‘Uninvited edition “Sell
After collecting the items, Gignac sealed them inside small clear acrylic cubes and marked the collection “Not Invited Edition.”Each cube features the phrase “JUST&T MARRIED,” a playful nod to the wedding and the couple’s initials.The limited-edition set consists of 50 pieces, each priced at $25.The response was immediate.According to the post, each cube sold out within 24 hours and eight minutes, allowing the artist to earn about $1,250 from the first release.Gignac has since said he plans to release 39 more cubes, bringing the total to 89, in honor of Taylor Swift’s birth year and her iconic album 1989.
A viral project sparks controversy online
As news of the unusual collectibles spread online, social media users were divided.Some praised the idea as an innovative mix of art, marketing and pop culture, while others couldn’t believe people were willing to spend money on what they called “literal garbage.”Many users also suggested that buyers might view the cubes as future collectibles associated with one of the biggest couples in pop culture and not just souvenirs.
Works built on New York City trash
Although Taylor Swift’s collection has gone viral, it’s not the first time Gignac has sold trash.He started New York City Garbage in 2001 after packaging ordinary street trash in clear acrylic bins to challenge how people perceive value.Since then, he has created sets for New Year’s Eve in Times Square, championship parades and other major cultural moments throughout New York City.Commenting on the project, Gignac said that he is trying to preserve important moments in the city’s history in an unconventional way.It is also believed that value comes from the memories associated with something rather than the thing itself.“People always ask, ‘Why would you pay for trash? And I’m like, would you pay for trash from your first date or from your kid’s last Little League game? It’s not just trash. It’s stuff that has meaning,'” he explained.The success of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding collectibles is another example of the couple’s extraordinary cultural influence. Even trash left outside a wedding venue proves valuable enough to sell within hours, turning an ordinary clean-up into a profitable work of art.
