PROJECTS

Ragpicker's Court

Canal Street Research Association (Ming & Alex)

Both social sculpture and public monument, Ragpicker’s Court is a decomposing ode to ragpickers, gleaners, and unofficial street vendors–past and present. Ragpicker’s Court will seek to unravel the myths that perpetuate prejudice against those who work with discarded and surplus materials, while weaving new structures and strategies through collective repurposing. This inquiry will start by surfacing underrecognized histories of reuse. We will then look to learn from contemporary ecological engineers such as canners, and those working with discarded textile. The research will culminate with a public intervention at the former site of Ragpicker’s Court, an area of lower Manhattan where ragpickers previously lived and worked. The site is where construction of a massive jail is currently underway. With this program and monument, Ragpicker’s Court seeks to put a society of waste and iniquity on trial.