The University of Trash — Michael Cataldi

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University of Trash Poster, 2009, Inkjet print, 13x19 in. Designed By Nils Norman and Michael Cataldi

Interior installation view, University of Trash, 2009, dimensions variable. Photo: Jason Mandella

Interior installation view, University of Trash, 2009, dimensions variable. Photo: Jason Mandella

House Magic: Bureau of Foreign Correspondence Working Research Office, University of Trash, 2009, 96 x 96 x 96 in. wood, printed material, and videos. Produced by Alan Moore and the ABC No Rio Visual Arts collective. Photo: Jason Mandella

The Skool of Refuse and Appropriation, University of Trash, 2009, 288 x 288 x 96 in. wood and found material. Produced with students from City-As-School, Manhattan. Photo: Jason Mandella

Tompkins Square Park Band Shell, University of Trash, 2009, 216 x 360 x 180 in. wood framing and recycled plywood, mural by Justseeds Artists' cooperative. Photo: Jason Mandella

Exterior Installation View, University of Trash, 2009, dimensions variable, recycled wood, hammocks, the M49 Radio Transmitter Truck with Low-power radio transmitter, and internet radio station, on loan by Max Goldfarb, gravel from the exhibition Ugo Rondinone, Martin Boyce, We Burn, We Shiver. Photo: Jason Mandella

The University of Trash is a collaboration with British artist Nils Norman. The work modeled itself after radical utopian architectural projects and pedagogical experiments from the late 1960s and late 1980s. Adventure playgrounds, historic urban spaces such as Tompkins Square Park, and vernacular architecture came together to form a series of interconnected pavilions and walkways within the exhibition space. Built from readymade, recycled, and found materials, the installation functioned as a temporary, makeshift free school. Throughout the three-month exhibition, The University of Trash hosted over fifty courses, lectures, presentations, and workshops, taught and attended by members of the public on a wide range of topics. An essential part of the work was the involvement of local students, community organizations, artists, activists, and academics, all of whom lead small classes or talks within the space of the exhibition. These topics included grass roots organizing, DIY architecture, the evolving aesthetics and politics of public space, screen-printing, boat building, and composting.