For fifty years, Staten Island’s Freshkills landfill was a constant presence in the lives of local residents. The sights, sounds, and smells of the site—once the world’s largest dump—permeated the island but remained out of sight of the city’s other four boroughs; hidden in plain view. Now, the landfill’s four mounds have been capped and an ongoing renaturing process is transforming the former wasteland into one of New York City’s largest parks, three times the size of Central Park. This process speaks to a profound shift in our relationship with urbanity and acts as a case study of how we may interact with these simultaneously natural and man-made spaces. 

Projects by Sound the Mound and Freshkills Park: Field R/D artists operate at the intersections of art, ecology, and technology to address our complex relationship with Freshkills, while archival and historical materials situate us within a grander context of waste and urban renewal. As Staten Islanders and the surrounding boroughs navigate this rewilding process, we face critical questions: How do we honor and remember the land’s past lives while embracing a new technologically orchestrated “natural” space? Now that the land has been dramatically altered and the landfill closed, how is New York City’s millions of tons of waste managed and disposed of? Where does the trash go now? The story of Freshkills Park invites us to reflect on the causes of past environmental challenges and the future of spaces once considered irredeemable. 

This exhibition explores the ecological transformation of Freshkills Park through three distinct perspectives. Playful works highlight the creative potential of interventions in the landscape, offering a sense of curiosity and possibility. In contrast, dystopian pieces confront the serious consequences of humanity’s complex relationship with the environment, urging reflection and caution. Meanwhile, utopian works envision a hopeful future for the park, illuminating a path toward renewal and harmony. Together, these perspectives provide a multifaceted lens through which to consider the park’s evolving identity and the broader environmental challenges of our time.