University at Buffalo (UB)
Where are the Commons of today?
This sculptural installation is an attempt to reclaim public space and to facilitate green incursions into the concrete and steel of the city. It suggests that we have an inherent need for nature but instead find ourselves in a contemporary urban environment characterized by the triumph of consumer culture with its attendant pollution, alienation, and diminished green space. The installation juxtaposes elements from the natural and urban worlds with the aim of providing a momentary respite from the mania of city life.
A curved array of steel towers support four rings made to contain a variety of possible objects, such as baking tins to hold plants, solar panels to power water pumps, or objets d’art. Each ring can be positioned at various angles to the sun.
The green wall is intended to be installed at a range of places in the city and will vary in size accordingly. The plants address contrasting ways that the city may be greened: there are cloned elm trees that pay homage to the trees that once lined the streets of Buffalo, vegetables to grow and eat, and weeds that find their own way to green the city, whether or not humans have had a hand in it.
Sponsored by the Techne Institute for Arts and Emerging Technology.