Building
a Rainbow is
an art installation that transforms waste into a colorful
indoor water feature that grows edible plants. Waste streams
of uneaten food, old tea-bags, newspapers already read and
throw-away plastic household objects are interrupted and
turned into lettuce, basil, wheatgrass and herbs. The plants
live in plastic containers sourced from thrift stores and
they are fed by nutrient-rich water recycling throughout
the system. All nutrients come from food and paper waste
that is transformed by composting worms within the system.
This project was built during a week-long residency at Spaces
Gallery in Cleveland, Ohio. It was part of the exhibition, Farmed:
The New Agronomists. May 13 - July 10, 2011 Curated
by Christopher Lynn.
Artists in the show: Arzu Ozkal, Nanette Yannuzzi, Michael
Mercil, Sara Rabinowitz and Amy Youngs.
My residency at Spaces Gallery was made possible in part
through support from the National Performance Network's Visual
Artists Network. Major contributors are the Andy Warhol Foundation
for the Visual Arts, the Joan Mitchell Foundation, and the
Nathan Cummings Foundation.
Thanks to the Spaces Gallery staff for their support and
help with my project! |