My recent outdoor art installation, Deep Roots
The "Deep Roots" installation part of the Turtle Artisans Tour on May 5 & 6 was considered very successful. The installation was a collaboration with Michaelann Velicky, a local permaculturalist. My art was installed around her beautiful urban farm in Elkins Park. During the two days of the tour there was a steady stream of people visiting the exhibit, in total over 200 visitors. Many from the neighborhood (Cheltenham Twp.) and many also from the city. During setup, the week prior, neighbors walking by were curious to see the installation even before we opened. Many left with a smiling face and at the same time learned something from the exhibit. And that was our goal - use the art installation as a tool to teach about sustainable living and farming in an urban environment. We had lots of interaction and questions from visitors. The Chicken Tractor and the Eco-System Chess Board, both functional art, seemed to be the most popular features of the installation. Michaelann and I were thrilled with the results. Also, my sincere thanks go out to everyone involved that made this exhibition possible and successful.
The Chicken Tractor is designed and created based on Michaelann specific needs for her front yard farm. From the size needed for the number of chickens to the weight and shade, door and materials use, all had to be thought through before the art form was created. Using found/recycled materials. The chicken feathers are made from discarded irrigation drip tape donated from Weavers Way's Mort Brooks Farm. The Chicken Tractor is a moveable cage to keep chickens confined to one area of a garden bed so that they can "debug, weed and fertilize" the bed before new plantings.
Michaelann and I came up with this idea while brainstorming on art/education tools for the garden. We were excited about this idea and thought it would be something fun to play while at the same time teach permaculture concepts. The Eco-System Chess Board is a design based on the farm site plan, including the house (front, side and backyard). Chess pieces are part of the game, learning about different elements connected to each other and how it affected each other when you place them in different spots. A great permaculture education tool. I used found, recycled and reclaimed materials such as scrap wood, form board and fabric.
To see more “Deep Roots” installation photographs, go to the Installation page.
Special thanks to my photographer friend, Sang Cun who took all these beautiful photographs.