Fossil-Pak 1995, Shredded auto tires (108 million BTU's/ton on nestable (60% volume reduction) multiple life cycle, reprocessed plastic pallets.
In the spring of 1995 Peterman traveled to Malmö Sweden and visited different local industries relating to waste processing and recycling. This research resulted in the fabrication of the Fossil-pak unit that intertwines several material networks and energy expenditure pathways. These include the potential energy that still resides in the worn-out, shredded, automobile tires and the energy savings postulated by IKEA for changing their shipping practices in favor of plastic "nesting" pallets that were designed to be returned and reused thereby replacing disposable "one way" wood pallets. These material networks and energy pathways made specific reference to the history of the host institution, the Rooseum: a museum situated in a former energy power plant. The installation of Fossil-Paks occurred in the lower gallery that functioned in former times as a coal storage bay. Peterman's work touched on current and historical patterns of energy use--with significant global ecological implications--while entering a cultural conversation that re-animated issues of minimalist sculpture and the early tire installation/happenings of Allan Kaprow.
Fossil-Pak was presented at the Rooseum, in Malmö Sweden as part of the Nutopi exhibition curated by museum director Lars Nittve. Artists in the exhibition: Dan Peterman, Rirkrit Tiravanija, Andrea Zittel, Clay Ketter, Yutaka Sone, and Jeffrey Wisniewski. June 3 – August 27, 1995
