The Whitechapel Fatberg, 250-metre long, 130-tonne mass of oil and wet wipes. A sample of the fatberg is in the London Museum. Grease, cooking fat and butter act as the glue, which holds together non-biodegradable objects which are flushed down the toilet. Wtihin a sewer environment these items harden and bind together, sometimes becoming tougher than concrete. There was an Independent article I saw which is titled "Fatbergs: What do these blubbery clots say about our society and how can we deal with them?" - I don't have the paywall account but I like the question. The fatberg represents everything we want to bury underground and ignore - stuff quickly, often poorly discarded from our houses - the remnants of cooking and of bodily matter. It is a reminder of the people and complex systems keeping cities functioning. There is something wierdly sublime about the monstrous blob. I once heard Timothy Morten talking about how the song '4 Degrees' by Anohni is like if all of the worlds unconcious actions had a voice. I think the fatberg is similar - like a sculpture created from all of London's unconcious actions - coming back to haunt us.
