“The symbols of the divine initially show up at the trash stratum.”
— Philip K. Dick
This collaboration between myself and Lucas Cook centers on giving guided tours of Buffalo Lakeside Commerce Park, a bygone “smart growth” park and brownfield remediation site on the westernmost edge of South Buffalo. The tours are, at minimum, threefold in their purpose: firstly, they disseminate vital local history; secondly, they track contemporary local development; thirdly, they facilitate research by way of garbage collection and—if we’re lucky—alchemical reconstitution (as occurs, for instance, in Lucas’ sculpture). Peak harvest season is from late February to mid-April, when the terrain is flattened from snow and refuse is made more visible and accessible. This is a long-term, tactile study of the park’s industrial history, interminable development, and implicit mystery and proves true at least a couple of magical principals—if you pay attention to anything for long enough, something interesting will surely happen, and if you are good to the source (in this case, the park), the source will be good to you.
If you are interested in scheduling a tour or buying unauthorized Buffalo Lakeside Commerce Park merchandise, contact me here.