Christmas Arrives A Week In Advance!

Not every day the big lad in the red suit drops a sparkling intact Tonka beast in a skip! Everyone at Friarton must've been extra good this year so Klaus has had to do the rounds one week early, starting with this rare find! No rest for the Tonka though, seen here carting some mini-breezeblocks to the building site. On yersel' son!

Interview For Assistant Post

Interviewing has begun for an assistant post to help with various aspects in the running of the Garbologists. As a representative of The Garbologists I visited artist Neil Nodzak to interview him last week. He works in drawing and model making, in investigating various aspects of architecture. Neil has signed a prelimenary contract more or less tying him to the post. We're excited about this probable appointement, with Neil hopefully able to assist with building work, filming, photographing, also conversing and other modes of communication. The contract stipulates the candidate must be comfortable in the dark, cold and rain, thus the apprehension on Neils face when hearing the contract read. Look forward to a healthy working relationship.

Worth A Gander

This rickety wee beast is my personal favourite from a belter of a book...

Cabin Fever - Sheds and Shelters, Huts and Hideaways

....about hidden dens and makeshift huts. This one belongs to the children of the local Charcutier (meat smoker) ina village in Switzerland. Good luck with the health and safety son, looks like its fashioned out of 8 matches and a Frosties packet!

"Lovely Old Shed"

This is an image of a garden shed.
It relates to a cracking yarn about Norman Taylor, an amateur photographer and more importantly, shed enthusiast, who suffers from sight loss. Norman has put on display more than 1000 pictures of his beloved garden shed. It will be on display until mid January at Royal National Institute of Blind People in Edinburgh.
He describes it fondly as a "lovely old shed". Norman, we concur.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/south_of_scotland/8393485.stm

Vandalised!

After a heady day of press coverage (16th Nov), Garbologist HQ received some more attention.........1st vandalism! Some Rogues O' The Nicht had a go at the roof and back two windows when trying to gain access to the penetrable fortress! A couple of screws and some beams across the windows have seen it secured until now at least. If any vandalism occurs, it is photographed, fixed, and the photograph and description of handi-work left outside the shed for respective assailants to add to their collection.

Press Call! Made It To The TV!

Looking a bit "Billy Bob Thornton' in Sling Blade, I get photographed emerging from H.Q by the skip site Paparazzi. The Garbologists featured on Grampian evening news, in The Press & Journal, and most importantly, The Courier!
Cheers to the skip site workers Craig, Michael and Hugh who all acted (worked in situ) with Hollywood ease to put a bit of glamour into the production!

The press attention brought about a little more attention of a darker nature that night.....H.Q's first bout of vandalism!

3D Model Of H.Q

This a plan that was made up to assist with the construction of the shed, using Google Sketch-Up.

- Google Sketch-Up: Free, Cheap, and Doesn't Cost Anything. Great for All Your Computer -Related Sketching Requirements.
(Garbologists do not condone promotion of any third party associates, represented companies or commercial ventures).

An Englishmans Home Is His Castle, Ah'll Tak Garbologist H.Q Any Day!

Apologies for a delay in posting, this is due to essential work being done to complete H.Q and numerous logistical discrepancies.

The facade of Headquarters, complete with signage, welcoming palette-step, and bike-less bike shelter. If anyone's up the skip site feel free to drop by. Its pretty cold and usually dark (rectified upon suitable discovery of skipped materials), but there are now two (2) chairs, so comforts not an issue!

I'll take that off yer hands mate!

Storms a' comin'. Scotland's struggling under the severity of November rain of which the likes have never been seen! Not being mugs at Garboligist H.Q, cladding and insulating is nearing completion. Almost covering the back of the wall are 3 old school doors, suitably chewing gummed in those hard to reach areas! Two beds have been saved from the skips and used to create a luxurious wooden office document wall (note the November light easing through the perspex and onto Table Two-Palettes, the hub of activity.

No need to wipe yer feet!

With the spirit of recycling firmly integrated into Garbologist H.Q, yet another example of the numerous capabilities of the versatile palette. It sat with the shed shell on it in storage for weeks, presumably had many other storage-related escapades in its fruitful existence, and now is the first port of call when entering (with your steelies mind!) Garbologist H.Q.

Recycling: The possibilities are endless.

With A Minute to Spare!

The last screw went in at 6.59pm, 28th October, completing the initial stages of Garbologist H.Q. A mere 1 minute before the site closed, it didn't look likely for a while, but we re-grouped after a lollipop piece-time (kindly offered by the top site workers, in their warm, electricity ready, metal shed with real windows) and raced on to complete it in the dying light. It'll have to be raised onto sleepers, which, at the moment are inside holding it to the ground.

"It Wilnae Last The Winter"!

Half an hour into kit building and the sheds almost complete. The above helpful comment shared by a van driver passing through the site may have heralded an ominous truth, although the 3 hours it took to get the roof and windows in place brought the total build time to a more realistic 4 and 1/2 hours. Securing it to the ground and beginning extensions/stabilizing it starts this weekend. Opportunities for a timeshare scheme may materialize!.....

Garbologist H.Q - The Shed!

With help from Callum on the forklift, Garbologist H.Q made its way in primitive flat-packed state from storage in Friarton Depot to the public skip site this morning (28th Oct). Here, by the buried Fiesta, will be the hub of activity for the duration of the project. Euan Taylor of Inefficient Solutions has been contracted to assist with the build.

CHINESE STREET SWEEPING

Street Sweeping on Tiananmen Square with the BUCHER CityCat! The sharper eyes amongst us will notice the similarities between the CityCat and the SCARAB Minor. Though wheel location and slightly busier (16million populated) streets to contend with make for a whole different SCARAB/BUCHER experience, their mission remains shared - ensuring a spotless environmet to be enjoyed by residents and visitors alike! Keep up the good work CityCat!

BIN RACING AT THE GRAMPIAN MOTORCYCLE CONVENTION!

Here, The Purple Helmets, a merry band of two-wheeled stunt riding renegades, demonstrate the deft 'back end out' skidding capabilities of the commonly known 240 litre wheelie bin. If you've had your bin recently swiped in the Alford area, take solace in the fact it at least wasn't melted by liquored youths in a public play area, and instead played a part in wowing the crowds at Alford Transport Museum on a fine September afternoon.

IRN BRU KINGFISHER

Artist Jethro Brice created this Kingfisher for his degree show at Glasgow School of Art in 2006. With a keen imagination he adapted the "drink of the true patriot"* into a lifelike model of the bird, and situated it on a branch by a river in Glasgow. With a keen eye for colour and a bit of spare time, you could too! How about an empty can of Vimto and a Freddo wrapper into the artist formerly known as Prince?

* overheard at an amateur football match

ANOTHER RUBBISH CAR

Used in a fascinating talk by artist Thomas Hirschhorn at Dundee Contemporary Arts earlier today, this car was produced for the Bijlmer Spinoza Festival earlier this year in Amsterdam. Its made from the garbage from all sorts of food products, and is probably even less functional than the Canvertible and half Fiesta! Thomas has a solo exhibtion opening at the DCA on 19th September, where there will be new work on show. Well worth a trip.
http://www.dca.org.uk/whats-on/exhibitions/its-burning-everywhere.html

H.Q LOCATION!

Picture the scene. By a skip site september sunset, soon-to-be Garbologist HQ sits framed by half a red Ford Fiesta, planted on the brae in the hope that it may yet sprout the necessary parts to pass its MOT. The doors are open, the shed has been photo-shopped in at an awkward angle, and the sound of recycling whistles amongst the skips. Don your Hi-Viz, The Garbologists are coming!

CANVERTIBLE

The aerodynamic functions of this 'canvertible' may have taken a debilitating blow, and it may be difficult to see through the windshield or enter the vehicle, along with the constant spray of flat Mountain Dew blinding the occupants every time the window is rolled down. Yet this is a bold, if un-roadworthy, example of recycled artwork.

RECYCLED SAMBA

Recycling comes in many forms: composting bits of cold toast, handing down Euro 96' t-shirts through three sets of cousins, swapping Mega-drive games with a neighbour, disposing of plastics and paper at Friarton Depot skip site (DMR- Dry Mixed Recycling), to immortalizing a neglected Adidas Samba in bronze.

This is an example of the latter.
Recycling: Do Your Bit!

SHED GRAFFITI

A warm welcome.

KINNOULL HILL @ ROUGH CUT NATION!

Look out for the ultra-violet Kinnoull Hill painted at the fantastic Rough Cut Nation at the Scottish Portrait Gallery from 7 - 30th August. The dominant landmark framed in the eastern view from Friarton Waste Management Depot, this is a slightly different take on the usual Perthshire postcard shots! Thoroughly recommend the show!

http://www.nationalgalleries.org/whatson/exhibition/5:368/7989

REVENGE OF THE BIN MEN!

Fascinating documentary highlighting the plight of the bin man, caught in various 'inside pages of the local newspaper' debates between public and council. Although, at times, tainted with the demonstration of poor manual handling techniques! Note a certain loader Lee Millers gloveless bag handling escapades on the high street of village England.

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/revenge- of-the-bin-men

CONTINENTAL WASTE DISPOSAL cont...

le 'gaffer' ne verra jamais que nous s'abritons derrière cette petite citroen.

CONTINENTAL WASTE DISPOSAL

la destra, i ragazzi di tempo di pezzo

POTENTIAL H.Q

First skip site visit offered up this potential location for Garbologists H.Q. 5 foot square, standing just high enough to accomodate my Y-axis, and a letterbox fashioned tidily in at waist height. May have to negotiate a timeshare with a certain R.Ferguson?