about Dumpster Archeology

It’s been over half a decade since the words Dumpster and Archeology were slung together for a strange project that has been lovingly called ….a multidimensional rabbit hole.  Indeed this moniker has been used on social media, for 3 websites, 2 publications, 4 art installations, 50 plus articles on Medium.com and a Documentary. There are no simple answers to the meaning, one must fall like Alice, deeper inside!

Dumpster Archeology is a weird creation that has a Creator in local artist and “space-maker” Lew Blink. He would go on record saying the whole thing is basically “a punk Indiana Jones trash adventure with National Geographic zine motifs, public spectacles and the DIY aspect of a Dumpster Diver”.

Dumpster Archeology is a method of remembering.

Dumpster Archeology: (in a dictionary sense) is the exploration of Storytelling via the discovery of dumpster diving artifacts.  The objects become a story of that which is being forgotten from the alleyways of St Louis.

From the Alleyways of St Louis to the first Dumpster Diving Experiences in Tampa. This Project aims to merge historical information with artistic experimentation and create a unique DIY multi-media dimensional mythology for the modern age.

Timeline of Dumpster Archeology!

  1. Lew Blink learns to dumpster dive in the fall of 2001, spends the next 20 years becoming a world-class Trash Hunter.
  2. After a stint in New Mexico, ends up in South city St Louis in 2009 continuing a lifestyle of Dumpster Diving.
  3. October 2015 makes a life shaking discovery in a dumpster outside 2323 Lafayette ave.
  4. The Lost Psychic Reel to Reels were digitized and the Dumpster Archeology Project Officially begins.
  5. Summer of 2016 Lew presents the first discoveries at the Strange Folk Festival.
  6. RFT and St Louis Magazine create articles about the project.
  7. Throughout the next 3 years, other Death Purges and Soul Collections were discovered, as multiple stories developed.
  8. In the Spring of 2018 and 2019, two articles were published in All the Art Magazine featuring two different Dumpster Discovered Artists.
  9. The Project showcased Artwork and Tales at Ripple of Existence Artistic Markets.
  10. Dumpster Archeology participated in 3 theatrical performances with PRIME’s 24 hour plays, providing set pieces and creating a week long Window Art exhibit called Dream Manager.
  11. In 2019 this website was formed with the magazine format, as a way to tell the individual stories online.
  12. Dumpster Archeology began to publish on Medium.com.
  13. January 2020, a documentary film began principle filming for an upcoming feature about the project.
  14. In October 2021, Dumpster Archeology showcases the Artwork at Artica in a Pop-up Museum. A vast amount of the Art is given away.
  15. The Project finishes in the Spring of 2022 out of respect for the Dead.

Show and Tell….as a Medium for historical exploration!

The Project begins with a discovery.  A singular moment of time, when something vital, at the edge of Trash Oblivion and is rescued from obscurity.   The object is then examined and experienced for possible signs of inspiration and then a Story is told in a way that fits.

This website is a dedicated space for experimentation in the Storytelling genre. Each Rabbit hole is a whole mythology that grows and branches, sometimes into the public forums. These stories and people can be verified and the act of exploration is encouraged.  

All the stories ….. are true or at least…true enough!!

Dumpster Archeology is Art Installations, Ted-X style talks, Public experiences, Published Articles, Collective experience, social media presence and whatever seems to manifest.  

Introductory Rabbit Holes