Artist sold cigarette butts and other trash to Taylor Swift fans, earning over a thousand dollars

Fans of pop star Taylor Swift have paid up to $25 (about 22 euros) for trash collected near the venue of her recent wedding, according to AFP. The wedding of Swift and American football player Travis Kelce was held discreetly inside New York's Madison Square Garden on July 3rd.

New York-based artist Justin Gignac told AFP that he gathered the refuse on the wedding day from the vicinity of the arena. Gignac then packaged the items, which included cigarette butts, bottle caps, straws, and police tape, into individual small plastic boxes and offered them for sale. Among the more unusual items were a single AirPod and an ovulation test package.

Gignac has sold approximately 50 boxes of this "wedding trash," earning $1,250. The limited edition collection sold out within 24 hours. "Many Swift fans want at least some memento from the wedding," Gignac explained to AFP.

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Many Swift fans want at least some memento from the wedding.

He shared a video of his work and the trash boxes on Instagram. Gignac stated that he began selling trash in 2001 after a colleague questioned the significance of packaging design. He wanted to prove the value packaging could have by creating something nobody would buy and presenting it as an attractive product. The gritty streets of New York provided the perfect inspiration.

To date, Gignac has sold over 1,700 boxes of trash. Besides the Swift-Kelce wedding day, he has created themed trash collections from other events, such as the Pride parade in June. "I try to capture culturally significant moments in New York, and this (Swift and Kelce's wedding) seemed like a big moment. I try to capture that moment in a small time capsule," he described to AFP.

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I try to capture culturally significant moments in New York, and this (Swift and Kelce's wedding) seemed like a big moment. I try to capture that moment in a small time capsule.