The mechanisms and aesthetics of waste disposal have been of fascination to Michael Landy since research on early projects Scrapheap Services (1995) and Break Down (2001). Throughout his career Landy’s interest in mechanical destruction has manifested in many forms – from the shredder, to the (dis)assembly line, to self-destructing kinetic works. In Scaled-Down, the artist’s new body of work, he turns to the methods of industrial waste compaction. The process of destruction becomes not one of obliteration, but of transmogrification and renewal, as sculptures and drawings are re-imagined and re-shaped in unsparing, compressed sculptural form. This publication accompanies Michael Landy's latest Thomas Dane Gallery exhibition, Scaled Down (2 October - 17 November 2018).