Seedlings

Abstract

Seedlings is a fictional, constructed ecosystem. It is a garden-like installation consisting of a coming-together of numerous printed, gathered, gifted, and reconstituted components that “cross-pollinate” the gallery space. This biomimetic amalgamation is characterized by themes of collaboration, cyclicality, potentiality, and adaptability in both its process and visual aesthetic. In its form and execution, Seedlings is open to various modes of transformation and myriad future iterations. My methodology is defined by what I have called “recuperate, reconstitute, reconstruct.” What can I collect from what was once destined for the landfill? Will it eventually decompose? Can it combine with other elements to form something new? In blurring the boundary between plant life and the built world, Seedlings engages in breaking down the outdated Western theoretical binary between what is and isn’t considered “nature.” My research, presented in this support document, represents a fusion of two subjects that deeply fascinate me: ecology and visionary fiction. As a strange and fictitious environment, Seedlings reflects my interest in visionary worldbuilding and alternative worlds. This combination of subjects reflects my desire to imagine radically hopeful futures beyond the status quo and the current ecological crisis. A seed is an oft-used metaphor for an idea. “Planting a seed” can be a reference to how new ideas are formed in one’s mind. If a seed is an idea, perhaps a seedling is an idea that is taking physical shape.