Trick or Trash
- Posted by: Alissa Walker
- on November 27, 2007 at 6:32 pm
For several weeks last summer, Angelenos rubbernecked past 12 bright orange bus-stop benches emblazoned with ads for Forever Landfill, a revolutionary refuse-disposal service that promised private landfill spots for fortunate city-dwellers—”the freedom to live large and as we please.”
The fictional ads were the latest project by Heavy Trash, a collective of Los Angeles architects, designers, and urban planners who joined together in 1997 to bring attention to urban issues with attention-getting projects. Within five days of installing the benches, Heavy Trash got a call from the city, threatening charges if they were not removed.
But they were also contacted by Los Angeles Councilman Greig Smith—the creator of a massive plan to curtail the city’s landfill problems—who wholeheartedly endorsed the project’s aims. “We always hope that we’ll attract people who have more experience than we have with an issue,” says one of the members, who all prefer to remain anonymous to keep the focus on the group’s work. “Then we can lobby for real change.”
LEARN MORE
heavytrash.com
PERSONAL DUMPSTER
The ads promised “personal Dumpsters” that could be customized in Burberry plaid.
DISCUSSION: 1 Comment
It is a mission in vain to attempt to view the nightly newscast without discovering the latest political or religious “straw man”. There is and always will be the groups of bored and hypocritical individuals who gather their ranks in protest against the mundane or convicting truths illustrated by culture. To empower yourself with the ability to redirect said individuals to a productive end, through any means other than force, is no mere asset. It is a commodity, deserving issuance in every form of media possible.