Saturday, March 1, 2008

People Die, Stuff Lives
Ridgewood, Queens

People die every day in New York City. But what happens to the stuff they leave behind?

In a warehouse in Ridgewood, Queens, Nick DiMola of DiMola Bros. Rubbish Removal has curated a personal museum of other people's junk. Decal signs, gold teeth, receipts from the 1930s, crutches, wedding portraits and a menagerie of pre-1970 memorabilia blanket every surface of his office.

From this junk collection to the thrift store shelves, objects take on new lives in the wake of their owners' death. They find homes in hipster living rooms, immigrant kitchens and even the developing world. These objects have also become the muse of artists, breathing some heart and soul into their creations.

People Die, Stuff Lives by Lisa Biagiotti and Kenan Davis is a multimedia story that traces the places objects go before reaching their final resting place in landfills. Below is a video profile of DiMola.


Please visit nyc24.com for other multimedia elements to this story. The print story was also cross-published in the Queens Tribune.

2 comments:

Victoria said...

What a wonderful article!! I have had two very satisfying experiences with Dimola Bros. Within the last few years I was in need of rubbish removal. Both times I enlisted Nick Dimola and his company. I found them to be quick, clean and thorough. I also find it very easy to see him salvaging history, he spend quite a bit a time sorting through my rubbish before loading it in his truck. I would love to see his collection, I bet it’s quite impressive!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Great Article, you captured the true meaning of what this company is about. I had DiMOla Bros clean out my house when I was moving, they were so careful, clean and professional. Mr. DiMola takes every care with the personal belongings that he finds and keeps, they take on a whole new life once in his hands!