Video: Trash to Treasure

A couple of weeks ago, on a rainy afternoon, I was joined by Michaelle Bond, a graduate student at Columbia Journalism School. Michaelle and her fellow classmates set out to document life after Superstorm Sandy in NYC and along the Jersey Shore. Michaelle joined me to document my work to salvage wood, post-Sandy and the creations I make from.

In the video I salvaged pieces of the “shack” an (formally) iconic landmark on Route 72 when driving onto Long Beach Island. The shack isn’t gone, it’s only broken down into small pieces and strewn about in a huge pile of wood along side the road. After collecting wood we go back to my workshop where I make a 8×10″ frame out of a board that I found on Herring Island, on northern Barnegat Bay. The island is in the middle of one of the hardest hit areas of the shore, Mantoloking. I also make some driftwood trees, which were made from driftwood collected in Barnegat Light after Sandy exposed them.

In the video you can another person, Nick DiMola a debris collection company owner, who collects trash (or items that people throw away and think with just disappear once their done with it) and finds things that are too good to toss. Way to go Nick and thanks for putting together such a great short documentary Michaelle! Make sure to browse and check out all the videos here: http://rebuildingnyc.com