Hydroponic Gardens
 SoundGardenSoundGarden is an installation that produced rainbow chard along with the sounds of the hydroponic growth process. Several handmade microphones were used including a hydrophone that broadcast the inner workings of this "plant machine". The captured sounds were reminiscent of "chirping" insects....virtual insects for an synthetic garden. 35 pounds of organic rainbow chard was harvested and donated to a local homeless shelter during this wintertime residency at the Prairie Center of the Arts. |  Deep Water Culture Root DevelopmentMany works such as this fully functional hydroponic community garden blurs the boundaries between utility and the aesthetic, functionalism and symbolism. I enjoy the challenge of transgressing boundaries between art, architecture, landscape, and design. |  Hydro GardenIn the more recent past, many grew their own food in the Victory Garden as seen in the great depression and WWII. However, Victory Gardens have been around for quite a long time. The term dates back to a book entitled "Victory Garden" that was written in 1603 by Englishman Richard Gardner in response to concerns of a Spanish invasion. He believed cities under siege would need gardens to provide for the citizenry and considered gardening a civic duty. |
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 SoundGardenStudents from various departments take part in harvesting herbs grown from this site responsive & sound emitting hydroponic garden on the last day of this solo exhibition. |  SoundGardenWith this work the public is also given an opportunity to discuss topics closer to contemporary art. Armagardden recreates natural phenomena through artificial inputs that rely on communal action, conceptual processes, as well as the more formal aspects of design and utility. |  SoundGardenThe specific impact humans have upon each local environment is frequently under communicated. In light of this, Armagardden underscores what scientists and ecologists are trying to make known through research and publication. |
 Armagardden IIOne of the first places where folks notice the impact of climate change is in their own gardens and backyards, their most common point of intersection with the natural world. For many, the costs and disruptions of mobility have become too much to bear. Value must be shifted closer to home creating re-investment in the local community. In the near future, economics will become more place-based and this will aid the re-establishment of more locally-based food systems. |  SoundGardenWith this work the public is also given an opportunity to discuss topics closer to contemporary art. Armagardden recreates natural phenomena through artificial inputs that rely on communal action, conceptual processes, as well as the more formal aspects of design and utility. |  Simple Bubbler for Oxygen and Sound |
 Mills from Recycled EarthenwareA do-it-yourself ball mill created from cast off machinery recycles earthenware/terra-cotta refuse into a growth medium or a substitute for normal soil. The ball mill grinds reclaimed clay into small spheres that are fired to 1200’C. Ceramics as a growth medium is PH neutral, porous and lightweight, does not compact, and is completely reusable once sterilized. This kind of medium drains freely and does not hold excessive water providing good oxygen levels for root development. |
Hydroponic Gardens
Community cropping in unexpected locations combines mixed materials, veggies, and shared step-by-step DIY plans with civic engagement.
Gardens often include variable sounds from hydrophones and sound to pixel circuits to monitors counter the slow even growth of the plants.
One of the first places where folks notice the impact of climate change is in their own gardens and backyards, their most common point of intersection with the natural world. For many, the costs and disruptions of mobility have become too much to bear. Value must be shifted closer to the home creating re-investment in the local community. In the near future, economics will demand more place-based food production and this will aid the re-establishment of more locally-based food systems.
In the more recent past, many grew their own food in the Victory Garden as seen in the great depression and WWII. However, Victory Gardens have been around for quite a long time. The term dates back to a book entitled "Victory Garden" that was written in 1603 by Englishman Richard Gardner in response to concerns of a Spanish invasion. He believed cities under siege would need gardens to provide for the citizenry and considered gardening a civic duty.