Over the years, the layers of landfill at Freshkills reached an imposing altitude of 225 feet, drastically reshaping the landscape of a 2200-acre wide portion of Staten Island. Capped and rewilded, the four artificial mounds created meet at the confluence of a network of waterways. During five decades of landfill operation, the composition of household trash evolved: from rusted metal and leather mixed with paper and ash in the 1950s, to plastic, glass, and small appliances in the 1970s and 1980s, to electronic components, non-recyclable packaging, plastic bags, and other non-compostable good in the late 1990s. Meant to evoke the magnitude of Fresh Kills landfill operation, this installation speaks to the man-made qualities of the park, celebrating the rewilding of a landscape that hides—in plain view—over half a century of New Yorker’s trash.

Design and Fabrication: John Roach, Mitch Kelly. With contributions by Julia Daser, Caroline Dionne, Isabelle Groenewegen, Litian Li, Pepi Ng, Andrew Shea, and Frances Shea.