How I Work: sTo Len, N.Y.C. Sanitation Department’s Resident Artist
sTo Len, the creative resident at the N.Y.C. Sanitation Department, finds inspiration in people’s litter. Design by Barbara Cadorna.
Out of sight, out of mind. That’s how it goes when you take out your trash — but not exactly for sanitation workers. And for artist sTo Len, other people’s litter can be a source of inspiration for creativity. Len has spent the past year as the N.Y.C. Sanitation Department’s resident artist, using art to promote change and appreciation for the work of the city’s trash collectors. This summer, Len has found countless ways to recycle old stuff, work creatively, and make art that connects issues of history, environment, traditions and politics. And best yet, he did it wearing a custom adorned vest with sanitation patches to carve his own identity in the space. (Because really, he wasn’t interested in cosplaying as a sanitation worker in their uniforms.)
Recently, Len released a book based on his research of the poster campaigns by the New York Department of Sanitation. And he’s not just an art activist who believes that the truth is in the trash — he’s also a visionary spirit who considers things like inflatable swimming pools and debris to be tools of his trade.
Here, he shares how he works, including the story behind his hand-crafted uniform for his art residency at the NY Department of Sanitation; why he takes walks in the graveyard during his work day; and his dream to make a playable sonic instrument jungle gym made of recycled materials one day.
sto Len in his office at the NY Department of Sanitation. Images courtesy of Len.
Rise and Shine
First thing I always do is make coffee, then usually get back in bed while it is brewing. The smell of it is enough to get me out of bed again to have my first cup. Unless I gotta run out the door, mornings are my favorite time for reading (right now it is Godzilla: Asian American arts Network 1990-2001), writing emails, and making to-do lists. I’ll water the garden, check on the veggies we are growing, and maybe do some pruning or pull some weeds before it gets too hot.
Work Uniform
When I started my art residency at the NY Department of Sanitation, I asked for an old uniform but they wouldn’t give me one since I hadn’t actually taken the exam to be a sanitation worker. In hindsight this was great because I wasn’t interested in cosplaying as a san worker. Rather, I needed to carve out my own identity. So, naturally I just made my own, which began with a vest that I got from a surplus store in my neighborhood in Queens. I adorned this vest with sanitation patches and buttons that I made riffing off of real ones from the department’s history. My friend Henry (who has since retired) gave me his grandfather’s sanitation patch from the 50s which I proudly added. I began silkscreening my own shirts as well, reusing the actual old DSNY screen print shop and all of its vintage designs. This has been my work uniform combined with black army pants and combat boots. Fashion aside, I was conscious that it was important to be seen within the department and consistently presenting myself in my own uniform was a great way to do that and start a lot of conversations. Eventually I began making larger quantities of patches and buttons to give out to DSNY employees.
Len silkscreens his own T-shirts in the old DSNY screen print shop.
How I Structure My Day
I try to do the admin stuff before noon so that I can be in the studio for the rest of the day. One thing I love about being a printmaker is there is always stuff to do. First thing, I usually clean up the mess I left the day before and then take a look at prints on the drying rack to see if any are “done.” I have piles of finished and not yet finished prints which I will just continue to mess with. There are no windows so I feel like I disappear into this world that I’ve created and I usually listen to music and work for several hours at a time. I will take breaks outside and walk amongst the dead in the graveyard that surrounds the building, then go visit my DSNY friends and see what they are up to. I head to the old sanitation TV studio upstairs in the afternoon to work on digitizing the long lost film and video collection that I have been helping to preserve and resurrect. I'm usually in there till the evening before I head home or go out. I always like to have a few projects going on at once so that I can bounce from one to the other and never get bored.
Playlist Favorites
My recently played artists and playlists: Slant, De La Soul, Taqbir, Reagan Youth, Drive Like Jehu, Mobb Deep, Thee Oh Sees, Wolf Eyes, Gold Dime, Phuong Tam, Pylon, ESG... Dog Daze of Summer Jamz Playlist.
Len’s prints.
Tools of the Trade
Water, sumi ink, oil paint, bamboo brushes, silkscreen equipment, all kinds of paper, found materials, debris, sewage, inflatable swimming pools, canvas, analog video and audio gear, computers, cameras, trash.
Dream Studio
In a squatted abandoned temple in Vietnam.
One Unique Thing About My Work Process
I usually don’t want to know what I am doing when I start a project and I have learned to thrive in that state of the unknown.
Mantra
The truth is in the trash.
My Brightest Idea that Never Saw the Light of Day
A jungle gym made out of recycled materials that is a playable sonic instrument. Think of monkey bars that are huge guitar strings which make sound as you hang from them and bend notes with your weight. Play as a unified sound. What would this unwitting orchestra sound like? By the way, if anyone out there wants to fund this, I am ready!
To-Do List Item That Keeps Me Up At Night
It is usually an amalgam of whatever upcoming things I have at any given moment that are slowly snowballing in my subconscious and haunting me in my sleep. Right now I am juggling a few exhibitions in New York and Connecticut, a water/fire parade ceremony called The 12th Star in Pennsylvania, and a Trash Festival in Kyrgyzstan which are all happening in the next few months. I really need to be planning for them all but instead I am happily distracting myself with this interview.
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