Dumpster

Dumpster

Dumpster is an interactive talking dumpster fire – a fusion of tech, art, and environmental concerns that serves as a megaphone, spotlighting waste, consumerism, and politics, igniting important dialogues.

Invented in1930s Knoxville, Tennessee by George Dempster , the dumpster revolutionized waste disposal with its mechanical truck-loading system. This innovation transformed waste management, making dumpsters a ubiquitous piece of global urban infrastructure.

The term "dumpster fire" is a colloquial expression that has gained traction in recent years, primarily used to describe a chaotic or disastrous situation. Originating from the literal image of a dumpster in flames, which suggests an out-of-control and attention-grabbing mess, it has become an idiomatic way to characterize events, decisions, or scenarios that are seen as failures or catastrophes. Often imbued with a mix of humor and dismay, the term is frequently employed in both casual and formal discourse to convey a sense of disorder or dysfunction.

Dumpster serves both literally and metaphorically as an amplifier for the underrepresented voices of Western New York’s community. Rather than accumulating discarded waste as a typical dumpster does, Dumpster gathers and magnifies the oral histories of individual Western New Yorkers, performing a unique cultural inversion. This concept, explored in depth by the renowned anthropologist and activist, David Graeber, highlights scenarios where a society's proclaimed values are at odds with its actual behaviors. Such discrepancies can often obscure or justify societal actions that might otherwise be recognized as problematic or incongruent.

Funded in part by Generator Fund and the Buffalo Institute for Contemporary Art.