File Under So. Co., Waiting for...

File Under So. Co., Waiting for... is a public art installation in Burlington, Vermont. Built in 2002 by Bren Alvarez, the concept and name symbolise the delay in building the Southern Connector ("So. Co.", a proposed northward extension of the I-189 to downtown Burlington).^[1] The filing cabinet is over 40 ft tall and was created by welding standard filing cabinets together^[2] over a year, with a steel rod inside keeping it upright.^[3] The 38 drawers in the cabinet symbolised the years since the Southern Connector was first proposed in 1965.^[4] Birds have been known to nest in the upper drawers.

The artwork in August 2020

"World's tallest filing cabinet"

Alvarez' piece has been described as "the world's tallest filing cabinet";^[4] however, Untitled (Minuet in MG) at Di Rosa in Napa, California, is a filing cabinet (made from a shredded 1974 MG Midget) which stands 65 feet tall.^[5][6]

Relocation

In August 2020, due to the perceived imminence of construction in the area, it was decided to relocate the filing cabinet 100 ft from its previous position onto a new 10 ft pedestal.^[1] It is now located at 208 Flynn Avenue, Burlington.^[7]

File Herd: On the Road to Extinction

In 2020, an exhibition titled "File Herd: On the Road to Extinction" was showcased during the South End Art Hop in Burlington. Transformed filing cabinets were displayed around the original pedestal of File Under So. Co., Waiting for...^[8]

• 
  "File Herd: On the Road to Extinction" display sign
• 
  Cloud...? What Cloud? placed on the original pedestal
• 
  Two Cows and a Calf
• 
  the dead provide a home for us living
• 
  MISC: entropy is running the show

References

1. Carroll, Joe. "World's Tallest Filing Cabinet to move from current Burlington spot". www.wcax.com.
2. Green, Susan (25 September 2002). "Miles of Files: A "connected" art exhibit puts paperwork in perspective". Seven Days. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
3. Polston, Pamela. "WTF: What's With the File Cabinet Tower on Burlington's Flynn Avenue?". Seven Days. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
4. Hallenbeck, Brent (23 April 2019). "People gather to worship the world's tallest filing cabinet: 'Praise to the cabinet!'". Burlington Free Press. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
5. Brady-Herndon, Gary (30 August 2001). "World's largest file cabinet now on Napa hillside". Napa Valley Register. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
6. Baker, Kenneth (24 July 2001). "Di Rosa Goes Vertical". SFGATE. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
7. "So. Co: File Under". www.burlingtoncityarts.org. Burlington City Arts. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
8. "Art Hop 2020: All Events + Happenings". SEABA. Retrieved 21 December 2020.

External links

• "The World's Tallest Filing Cabinet: Why Is This a Thing?". Travel Channel. Retrieved 22 December 2020.

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