01
While gathering materials at the
public dumping site, I began to
find plants that people had thrown
out. Almost every day that I went
out to find junk, I would find a plant
in the piles of refuse. I decided to
start bringing them back to the studio
to see if I could revive them and
nurse them back to life. When I
first found them, most of the plants
were in pretty poor shape - crushed
and broken and pulled from their
pots - but most also still had their
roots intact. Fortunately, I also found
copious ceramic and terra cotta
pots, and other containers that
I could make into holders. The dump
also has a fantastic composting
program, which produces incredibly
rich soil/compost that the plants
responded to amazingly.
During the four months of the
residency, I recovered over 70 plants,
most of which returned to good health.
At the exhibition, I put all of the plants
up for adoption, and nearly all of them
found new homes. With their plant,
the new parents received an envelope
containing the name of the plant; care
instructions and a photograph of their
plant in the show.
