During my internship at UCCA, I noticed many unsustainable practices in how large art institutions operate. First, there is material waste. A project last September used a large amount of cowhide; I do not agree with this creative philosophy. Second is the waste of human labor. I once finished a set of over 40 visual materials, but because one word failed a review for “sensitivity,” I was ordered to redo everything. A single order from a superior wasted money, energy, and labor. In large systems, waste is the norm for the sake of process and reviews.
To find a team that shared my values, I joined Renée Materials in London. They successfully put high-quality materials back into use, reducing waste in the industry. However, I found a new problem: the mission is sustainable, but the business is not. Because the supply is unstable and hard to scale, there is a lot of repetitive labor like sorting, folding, and organizing. This work mostly relies on “unpaid labor”—interns like me. If a business must rely on free labor to function, it is not truly sustainable in its internal logic.
I used to think that repetitive, mechanical tasks were a waste of life and that only “creation” had meaning. But I have realized that every industry needs basic labor to function. The irony is that in a huge system, this labor is wasted for no reason; in a small, idealistic team, overwork and unpaid labor are justified by “passion.”
Many young people accept low or no pay just to get a “ticket” into the industry. This structure effectively excludes anyone without financial support. I have to ask myself: after graduation, without my parents’ help, how will I support myself? How can I achieve “personal sustainability” for my own life?
Even though schools emphasize social responsibility, the jobs that actually pay well and provide visa sponsorship are rarely found in these value-driven organizations. We know what is “right,” but we are often forced to do “wrong” just to survive.
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