One of the most-flyered utility poles on North 36th Street had its own art installation for a few weeks this summer.
Located on the pole outside Forest Ceramic Co. at 513 N. 36th St., the very Fremonty installation was titled “Trash Art Museum.” It certainly delivered!
The centerpiece was a collage fashioned to look like a paper shopping bag. It featured stapled-on handles, a blurry photo of Jimothy, the words “EAT TRASH,” cigarette butts, Halloween-themed tape, and red ribbons. A grocery store circular was also included in the collage. A matchbook was at the top of the installation, like a star adorning a Christmas tree. It was a mishmash of trashiness that onlookers would be surprised to see.
Below the “EAT TRASH” collage hung a roaring paper tiger head and a paint-splatter piece. Off to one side, a chunk of white packing foam stuck out from the pole like a cloud, with a small squadron of colorful paper airplanes hanging underneath.
Off to the other side was a cardboard pedestal fringed with shredded newsprint and decorated with hand-drawn stars. It held another grainy photo of Jimothy, along with a message: “Don’t worry, nothing matters.”
The installation had even more elements that weren’t in the photos.
Then the museum did what every flyer on that pole eventually does. Pieces fell or were stripped away until the exhibit was mostly back where it started: trash.
The artist behind the installation is not known.
What did the Trash Art Museum mean to you? A Jimothy tribute? A reminder that nothing lasts long? Existential dread? Fremont Neighbor wants to hear readers’ interpretations so leave a comment below.
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