Dead Fridge Art

[infrogmation]

A post-Katrina folk art has developed in New Orleans: Dead Fridge Grafitti.

For those who don't know, refrigerators left with no power full of rotting food for 6 weeks are generally unsalvagable, so there are thousands on New Orleans area curbs. Some returnees tried opening theirs; survivors generally reccomend against it. Best practice says to duct tape the things shut & cart 'em out unopened.

People started writting on them, starting with the basic "TRASH", "TOXIC", or "DO NOT OPEN".

Then they started getting more clever: "SIR STINKS ALOT", "FREE TO A GOOD HOME", "KATRINA, YOU BITCH!"



My favorite so far read "WAS COLD HEARTED, NOW TOTALLY CORRUPT".

Edit:
Ah, this important trend is being widely recognized:

Gallery of fridge pix on nola.com

Comments

"my tummy hurts"

[meekorouse.livejournal.com]

cute photo; if you can say that about a fridge full of rotting food from a horrible & deadly situation. I'm glad you got back home though. =)

[portia.livejournal.com]

Glad you explained about the refrigerators. I couldn't figure out why only the fridges, and not any other appliances, like washers/dryers would end up on the curb. I thought flood waters shorted them out or something. Can't believe rotted food would make them unusable. What a waste. Would seem like big business for someone willing to recycle those bad boys.

Glad to see you are slowly but surely getting back to normal.

Did you ever get a tarp for your roof?

[doctroid.livejournal.com]

I know from experience that if I had a fridge full of rotting food, I'd have to open it, because it won't fit through the door unless you take its own door off.

Either that or I'd have leave the fridge shut and sell the house.

I guess maybe if I ever have to evacuate, I'll try to empty the fridge first.

[petalbreeze.livejournal.com]

For some reason, refrigerators and freezers are made of a substance that absorbs odors. When rotting food is the odor in question, there is no salvaging it. Even baking soda and vinegar will not help the situation.

We have had other appliances discarded in our neighborhood, and we rescued one electric clothes dryer. Our gas is still not on, so we hoped an electric dryer would help. John got the motor freed up, turned it on, and wha-la! it still works! The timer had not been submerged in the storm surge.

Karen cleaned out the inside last night to use it...