EnviroTekie:The Blog of Ashley Lieber

Exhibit @ Takohl Gallery

2011-06-28T14:25:00.000-07:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Kelly Tribout 312.421.6222

“Sustanium” Ecological & Horticultural Art

Chicago, IL June 20th, 2011 - Takohl Gallery invites you to join us at 110 N. Peoria Street on Friday Evening June 24th, 2011 6-9 PM for our newest show “Sustanium” by artist Ashley Lieber. Her works consist of moss montages, suspended container gardens made from repurposed champagne boxes, small-scale aquatic ecosystems, ‘Plant Panels’ (portions of reclaimed barn wood that have been soaked in water and encased with moss to allow various house plants to grow) prints and drawings. Cocktails will be served and hors d’oeuvres will be provided by Karyn’s on Green.
“I was recently coined a ‘horticultural artist’ and I find this quite fitting; my work emerges from participation in urban agricultural development and consistent interaction with various forms of living vegetation and aquatic ecosystems. ‘The Sustainability Series’, was a study and hands on project investigating (and presenting) percepts of sustainability, merging the fields of sculpture, urban agriculture, and psychology.” – Ashley Lieber
Ashley has spent eight years in higher education. She earned her BFA from Grand Valley State University in 2005 and an MFA from the University of Michigan in 2010. While a student, she maintained an active studio practice but her studies were predominately in The School of Natural Resources and Environment. It was there Ashley developed an intimacy with ecology, specifically ecological restoration, aquatic ecosystems, alternative methods for urban agriculture and the psychology of environmental behavior change.
Ashley is a fellow in public scholarship and is very active in her community as a gardening and ecological educator. Her studio is located in Grand Rapids, MI where she teaches part-time in the public school system.

Art & Marketing: Surviving as an Artist

2010-10-20T12:05:00.001-07:00

I've been toying, frequently, with varying ideas of how to survive as an artist. Arguably, I'm doing it now- but I'm still making mistakes. What is the price of art? The price is what people are willing to pay combined with what the market can bear. I was mildly entertained by this article "The Truth About Surviving as an Artist", by Rex Rocket (click here). He starts off my mentioning that people do not make art for the money. True, to some degree. I have met and learned of several self proclaimed artists who climb to fame and riches with carefully planned strategy. The infamous Jeff Koons is usually brought to the table first, a Wall Street broker turned artist, who holds at least one world record of the highest auction price for a work by a living artist. We aren't, as artists, all fit (or eager) for fame and riches... the question is: how do you survive as an artist?

Lately, I find myself drawn to various methodologies for marketing and "artist branding". The words don't ring, but fall with a inevitable thud from my mouth. Marketing doesn't have to be a dirty word. And as a full time artist, I want and need to learn more about it, if I am going to pay my bills.

I'm an artist because it is the most direct and honest way I feel I can engage and communicate in the world- and here I am, I new marketing novice. I'm planning to attend the 'Arts Alliance: Converge 2010', which happens October 26th, at Eastern Michigan University. Various topics are to be covered. One presentation is titled "Who Needs a Personal Brand?", and goes on: "the art of personal promotion for the artist means developing an image that effectively communicates who you are as an artist and individual".

I am experiencing a physical and internal shift. There are major dichotomies to address. Decisions to make. Though, I can state in a clear calm, regardless of the state of the market, I will continue to make work, read books, and pursue a career that is a combination of art making (producing), teaching (public, community, and/or higher ed.), and ecology (agriculture, horticulture, research).

P.S. Moss for Meditation has sold. Thanks to Chris Jensen, a young Chicago based art collector and enthusiast.

Meaning and Meander

2010-10-11T20:32:00.000-07:00

The studio is up, but not yet in full functionality. It feels good to have a space again, for a creative practice. Next up: establishing/re-establishing that creative practice. Creativity is a steady, in action, thoughts, and words, so no need for concern. Just this weekend I finished unpacking and shelving my book. I decided to slim down, and purged over 50 volumes... it was in this process that I began to think about how many hours I've spend with my nose in books.... if I added up the hours (even tried to), I'd easily arrive to a number of years. Yes, years. It suddenly dawned on my that I have spent years in books. In this realization- I began to look closely at my collection... academically pressed art and environment books make up nearly the entire collection. I dreamed of being back in the classroom, its not the teaching, but the sharing of knowledge and passion that inspires me in that thought... I absolutely love talking about art, the environment and contexts self and culture within these topics. Soon again, I hope. Also, I am in The Saturn Return. What?! Well, quite simple actually (in concept), is an astrological phenomenon that occurs at the ages of 27-30, 58-60, 86-88, coinciding with the time it takes the planet Saturn to make ONE full orbit around the sun. This means at some point between now and my birthday (December 16), Saturn will return to the degree it occupied at the time of my birth. The whole notion has me reeling about time and the larger astrophysical picture. I enjoy the wiki definition (here). More pondering and experiencing required. Ciao for now.

Upon Arrival

2010-07-26T13:08:00.000-07:00

Last week I had to re-fit 'Silvio's Hydroponic Wall Garden' with new parts. The black tubing I had been using (and had used for Silvios) began to warp a bit, causing minor leaks in the fittings to spring every time someone bummed the work. I had pieces of PEX piping fit for the wall, and with help of my friend Ethan, the wall was taken down, re-fit, cleaned and the remaining plants were harvested for the last time (in this run). Some of the roots were getting a bit icky (bacteria-ish), so they needed to be taken out anyhow. SIlvio was sad to see the plants go, but I assured him, that in no time at all, the system will be full and lush.

New Work and Ecology of the Mind

2010-07-07T10:39:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking about a new body of work since I graduated... first it was a more serious body of work, one that would expand on my MFA work, then another body to be entitled 'The Chakra Series'. Then, I began to critique myself in the usual way, I began to do some deep reflection on what I had really learned. In all that I have been enveloped in, Ecology, stands most prominent to me. While, it is not my predominate field of study, as is art, it still is everything my work is made of... Ecology, and the study of it, is the tread that weaves throughout my work, and the inspiration from which the work evolved. The higher wisdom ecology offers, in both the ecological systems of the planet and of our minds, lends itself in simile, literalism, and metaphor. Take for example a large scale farming operation. One cannot plant the same crop (especially organically) over and over again and expect the same results. Eventually the crops will grow weaker, less prolific, as the soil is depleted. However, with crop rotation (an old tried and true method) and green cropping (planting non-edible green crops that are in turn rotated into the soil, enriching it) methodologies, the soil is not depleted, and successful farming can ensue. These methodologies came about with an understanding of deep ecology. There is a give and a take to demand. These same methodologies can be applied, metaphorically, and with practice, to the mind. What some call, 'The Ecology of the Mind'. Hence, after much reflection I've arrived to a simple truth: my mind, creativity, and personal vision, is much like the soil in which the farmer depends upon for crops. I cannot, again and again, expect high outcomes without 'letting the soil rest', or 'green cropping'. So how does one, an artist for that, arrive to these methodologies? More so, apply them? I'll start by elaborating some thoughts on the latter... green cropping (which is also known as "cover cropping", is a sustainable tool for managing soil). What presents itself is diverting my practice. While I have been enthralled, encouraged, and rewarded by my practice as a sculptor and ecological artist (and have no intention of abandoning it), I need to plant a cover crop and in the Fall till my soil, so that it may be, in turn, renewed. So the question arises: what are green crops that can be applied to my practice? That which is not, what has been expanded upon, produced, and reproduced? A new body of work that diverges, but does not leave the path of intention... (to be continued).

Moss for Meditation

2010-06-02T12:59:00.000-07:00

'Moss for Meditation', 1 of 5 sculptural works that were member to the exhibition 'Psychosustainium', is currently hung for viewing in The Palmer Commons (University of Michigan) (map). As of now, it looks like the work will remain there until the Fall, as requested. I'm pleased to have a work remain in public view... serving some restorative purpose. The Palmer Commons is a perfect home for the work, its too bad their collection is in constant rotation (they do not acquire works of art, but rotate them). The modern architecture, with large glass planes that open up to the expansive green of extended soccer fields and tennis courts, steel beams and high ceilings- enables the work to breathe... I can detach myself enough from the work to say that it looks beautiful right where it is. Go see it if you can.

It is my aspiration that the work remain in University of Michigan collection, ideally I would like to sell the work, which will help not only cover material costs (which exceed a grand), but would allow me to fund my next step... the journey onward.

De-Construction/Re-Construction

2010-06-02T12:09:00.000-07:00

I'm graduated, Master's of Fine Arts, officially. Today is the first that this seemingly small factual statement has seeped into my mental ecology. As in- ah, yes, I'm graduated, no huge feat, but work enough, 3 years past, hoop jumped through, game of life played, and played while doing my best. I can honestly say so, I've worked hard, nothing was handed to me, but wealth of opportunity.

So what's next? I do not know (not at this moment). Strange, I naively thought the answer would gleefully and gracefully arrive. Well, I'm not ashamed to tell you, the answer has not arrived- not yet at least. Though I do know this with certainty: I will continue to do work that I find to be meaningful, for both the environment and humanity. I will avoid side jobs like the plague, and if I can survive as an artist, a cornerstone of society, having carved my own way, found my own niche, I will. Truth be told, for the last three years I have enjoyed the sweets of academia. Now, in three weeks time since walking across the graduation stage, and hearing great words of our strong President reverberate in the University stadium, I'm already feeling the crunch- the hunch of reality, outer layers of society that wasn't as much mine as it was seemingly everyone else's. I have been swathed in layer upon layer of creative meander, research and books for the past three years, protected by the precious ivory tower, living as much in my mind as I choose too, reaching out and teaching my design, exploring at will. Strange, I find myself merely foot out of the revolving academic door, having turned in my keys yesterday, and I'm dreaming up a return to academia. A PhD, perhaps. Environmental Art. Teaching, yes, certainly, but not now, not today.

After deconstructing my apartment, then a week later, my studio, I can now begin to re-construct (a life for myself). I officially have no home of my own, but lucky for me, I feel at home in the world. I will figure it out, yes, the answer will arrive precisely when it needs to.

Since I'm no longer a candidate, but a graduate, I'd better change the blog, let it evolve with me. Since I intend to keep it active, as I do my creative practice.

Side note: I found homes for all of my fish- just in the nick of time. : )

Post Grad: Week 1

2010-05-17T14:37:00.000-07:00

Packing has begun... actually, it is in full swing. By May 20 I'm out of my cozy downtown bungalow. I've decided to sublet to a young lawyer to be- who will be preparing for the Bar exam, this will save me two months rent, which would be better spent on travel. By June 1, I need to be out of my University provided studio space, which happens to be 3 times the size of my apartment.

The unearthing of materials and work, books and papers, plants and life- I see as an opportunity to purge, rethink, and reorganize my material meanderings and mental framework.

I have decided to apply for a scholarship/internship with 'Terrefarm', a productive (green) urban laboratory and design/grow collaborative located in Brooklyn, NY. A workshop will take place, for alternative urban agriculturists July 12th-30th. (LINK).

I checked out this project, and was enchanted: (here)

Urban agriculture, and learning more about how to transcend the difficulties presented by current and developing practices are on the brain.

I went morel hunting this weekend (Forest Hills area), and though I didn't find any, I had enjoyed the hike through a old and new growth forest, and had plenty of time to think about how many edibles ("wild") surround us, yes even in the city. I'm learning more and more about collecting urban wilds, a hobby of sort, that began when I discovered Chrisytopher Nyerges, author of 'Urban Wilderness: A Guidebook to Resourceful City Living", an oldie but goodie (Peace Press, 1979).
In effect, I am increasingly interested in expanding my creative practice in ways that will help educate about collecting "wild" edibles, especially within city limits.

I think an interesting dichotomy arrises in such a pursuit- the tension between the bo-ho (urban hippie) nature of collecting wild edibles, and the ho-hum song of foodie gourmets. My bet is, if you take a gander of the dinner menus at the finest and haute of restaurants in your town (from the Michigan heartland to NYC), you will find a showcase of fidddleheads (baby ferns), ramps (smallish green and purple, garlic meets onion flavour, with the look of a scallion), morels (picture above, the divinest of mushrooms, if you ask me), and dandelion greens. If you can identify your own foodie gourmet edibles, your bound for a epicurean delight in the kitchen and at the table. Even if you aren't in the mood for edible hunting, chances are your local farmers market with have a plethora of options.

Psychosustainium

2010-04-26T22:12:00.000-07:00

Almost There

2010-04-19T14:13:00.000-07:00

I give my Oral Thesis Presentation tomorrow, 10AM. Working on it now... ah.... one of the last hurdles. Everyone one keeps asking me: "what's next!?!" I'm still navigating how to reply... I have plenty of "irons in the fire"... lots of dreams and lots of opportunities, but the last thing I want to do is sign back on board to work my tush off again. What's next? Sleeping when I want, reading what I want, roaming where I want, and hitting the mind and body reset button (which equals=sleep + yoga + gardening + camping + doing nothing + swimming in large bodies of fresh water + hiking + cooking for those I love and meandering around). THIS is how I will regain creativity for a new body of work, and a new chapter in life. XOXO

Epicurean Delightfuls

2010-04-18T20:20:00.000-07:00

Epircurus was a Greek philosopher who founded Epicureanism about 307 B.C. Notably, one of the first, if not the first Greek philosopher to believe and uphold the liberation of women. Seven women philosophers developed in his school, which was housed in in house, said to have been a stately province removed from the glare of the city... surrounded by gardens, where slaves, men, and women alike took to the celebratory nature of garden, food and drink. Women were allowed to write and speak publicly, one of them even challenged a follower of Plato, which surely pissed off the Romans.

I consider myself somewhat of an Epicurean, in the modern sense, someone who takes to food and drink in a sensual knowledgeable way- a foodie, a gourmet.

Upon reading and researching the writings of these 7 women (sadly, much has been lost) I came across this beauty... a re-telling of Hypatia's lecture to her students, the end- upon delivering Book 6 of Homer's Iliad:

'"And the speaker stopped suddenly, her eyes glistening with tears, her whole figure trembling and dilating with rapture. She remained for a moment motionless, gazing earnestly at her audience, as if in hopes of exciting in them some kindred glow; and them recovering herself, added in a more tender tone, not quite unmixed with sadness-

"Go now, my pupils, Hypatia has no more for you today. Go now, and spare her at least-- woman as she is after all-- the shame of finding that she has given you too much, and lifted the veil of Iris before eyes which are not enough purified to behold the glory of the goddess. --Farewell."

Hypatia, one of honored among the women of Judy Chicago's "Dinner Party", and more over continued research in feminist philosophy.

Que Amor.

Painting: Charles Willuam Mitchell, 1885 "Hypatia"

written thesis..........

2010-04-09T15:27:00.000-07:00

I feel like I've entered a black hole of space and time. I emerge, just so I can re-emerge. I'm trying to finish my thesis and I have begun to question sanity. Being an academic is difficult, yet rewarding work.

Seriously, why did I have to pick such a complex topic? I want/need more time to finish and I just don't have it. "Happiness comes having accomplished the impossible" (The quote I am living by until this is done). !!!!!!!!!!

Merging plants and art is a challenge for art.

Merging theories of art practice, environmentalism, sustainability and social evolution is a challenge for anybody.

Merging sustainability with functionality is underway.

This is just my style: to take the challenge. Offer up all I physically and mentally have to give. To push myself to the limit. Everytime I even begin to think that "I can't" I just want to prove I can.

Psychosustainium is down and I miss it. Actually its still in existence in my dreamscape, a place I go while sleeping (when I do).

It wasn't up nearly as long as work of that nature needs to be- the plants JUST started budding and thriving. The space was just becoming acquainted with re-visitors, those who began to use the space for its worth: restoration and meditation.

So I arrive to: I need a new outlet soon... collaboration with architects and interior designers is on the brain (in moments when my written thesis is not). And the body of work to go on mountain ridges.

Also I've learned something: I can't MAKE myself write well. I can make myself write, but I can't make myself write well. I will keep trying till my eyes go out and my fingers bleed. Its not that bad...I know I am my worst critic... this will get done because I will ensure that it does. This degree has been my dream for years now... to get this degree, to further my body of work, to deepen my environmental ethic and inform my stewardship. I'm almost there. There is bright white light at the end of this academic tunnel, and I'm finding my way, trying my best to stay upright and strong while en route.

After Glow

2010-03-29T21:21:00.001-07:00

I couldn't have asked for a better outcome and turnout for the Eco-Art Harvest Event: A Simple Salad Social.

...A steady easy flow of friends, colleagues, and professors entered my studio with grace and openness. I was met with helpful hands, curiosity, and words that described delighted palates and intrigue for living things.

The aesthetic was as rustic meets modern, simplicity meets elegance, moody meets bright. The elements were living vegetation, water, wood, fire, white vintage linens and light. Greens under growlights, candles, ambient music and the sound of trickling water met with intellectualist conversation.

Above all: good food, good beer, good wine.

One of my colleagues said, 'You transformed your studio into a Bistro!' Indeed.

I served the salads "live", as a series (each with a pairing). For the finale I harvested large bunched of the 'Green Wave' (an heirloom mustard green), washed and chopped in real time, tossed with garlic-rosemary roasted whole potatoes and tomatoes, and a rich and earthy roasted garlic vinaigrette.

When the en masse left, I sat down with a glass of Gigondes and relaxed with the remaining few (my sister included!), and enjoyed a favorite salad with some rustic Italian potato bread.

What a lovely affair, and what a wonderful way to share the celebratory nature of this body of work.

Oh, incredible edibles...
Amore!

Salad 1: The Anti-Oxidant
Greens. Blueberries. Strawberries
Carrot & Toasted Almonds
Lemon-Cayenne-Honey Vinaigrette

Ortrugo, Santa Giostina (Italy)
Oro de Calabaza, Jolly Pumpkin (Dexter, MI)

Salad 2: A Favorite
Arugula. Purple Shallot
Parmigiano-Reggiano
Whole Grain Dijon Vinaigrette

Tempranillo Organica, Santa Julia (Argentina)

Salad 3: Old World
Green Wave Heirloom Greens
Whole Roasted Red & Gold Potato & Tomato
Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette

Gigondas, Domaine de Fontsane, 2006 (France)

A Memorable Evening.

2010-03-29T21:13:00.000-07:00

More pictures from the event

Eco-Art Harvest Event: 'A Simple Salad Social'

2010-03-23T14:48:00.000-07:00

The second 'Simple Salad Social' is scheduled for this Saturday, March 27th @ 7PM in my studio. I'm inviting guests to watch, then taste as I harvest 'Circular System VIII' and 'Clone Box II', edible sculptural projects of mine that are brimming with delectable exotic and heirloom greens.

A series of salads will be served, food and wine parings with a guest chef and sommelier, music and conversation.

Thesis Exhibition Events & Locations

2010-03-15T20:57:00.000-07:00

Pardon my absence. I've been 150% consumed with the installation of 'Psychosustainium', which is up, and running and beautiful. Please, go see it! : ) Additionally I've been teaching Silvio and his staff how to maintain the garden wall... manual is in effect. I've never written a manual before... hummm... but he will need to know where and how to get replacement parts and nutrients, if he needs them. There is discussion about him creating his own compost tea. I need to do some research and see how feasible that is.

It feels great to have the show up, and now the next tasks. Preparing my thesis document (the written thesis) and for my oral thesis presentation, committee meetings and the like. All is ahead and just over the hill, my eye on the prize. xo

Wowzer!

2010-02-17T19:13:00.000-08:00

I can hardly believe my eyes!? : ) I had confidence that the system would work, but I didn't know it would work SO well! In less than 1 week the basil in the Vertical Hydroponic Wall Garden has grown an inch!

The top row has yet to be installed and as of now I think I will install something other than basil, like the variety of baby heirloom greens pictured above (growing in my studio as I write this). The benefit to this is I can experiment to see what grows best.

In the second run (once basil has been harvested 6-12 times it becomes woody and less fragrant and sweet), and if Silvio is up for it, I want to install ALL ARUGULA. Arugula is a rustic Italian heirloom green known for its unique flavor, and its one of my personal favorites. It has a pleasantly bitter and almost grassy quality (in the best sort of way) with peppery overtones. I love it. I would start the second run in June or July (depending on the basil growth and use).

It was nice to feel and hear the buzz about this new work... the employees at Comet Coffee were talking about how awesome it was, and dreaming urban potentials for hydroponic wall gardens within their own spaces (they didn't know I was the artist and I kept quiet). And whenever I am at Silivo's, tending or photographing, I am approached by people who are interested in the system... how it works, why I built it, what's growing and how it will be used. Many people are already asking me: "What's Next?" I have more tricks up my sleeve, but for now I am going to leave you guessing.
This buttercup is looking up! ; )

Silvio's is located at 715 North University, and if you haven't been there for the food yet (or to see the work in person) I highly recommend you go take visit! Its easy going, yet arguably some of the most authentic Italian food in town. Mind you Silvio uses ALL organic ingredients, buys from local farms and uses earth friendly take out packages. He even composts left over pizza. Beyond all, the food is made with love. The most divine browned butter and fresh sage gnocchi you can imagine, white truffle and shiittake pizza, fresh baked breads and pastries, arugula salads, need I go on? Go! You will love it.

Ciao for now beloved readers. XO, A.

Silvio's Installation Photos

2010-02-13T15:33:00.001-08:00

Basil Installed!

2010-02-13T11:43:00.000-08:00

I'm so elated!!!! : D All went well yesterday... the new pluming is working and the basil is installed. I am thinking to include a row of greens now... arugula... hummm...
This video is a time lapse of the install (1 picture per minute).

Sociable Hydroponica

2010-02-11T17:45:00.001-08:00

What a Yin-Yang week! The physically and mentally horrendous Sunday, Monday, Tuesday I experienced made it possible to feel sheer joy and delight with everyone and everything around me for the last two days.

Silvio's Vertical Hydroponic Garden Wall is almost complete! The basil looks fantastic (doubled in Size in three days?!) Circular System IIV is up and running (and looks beautiful)! I feel elated.

Soon I will be relishing the full breadth of the sociable benefits of hydroponic gardening, growing, sharing, and working!!!
Indeed- hydroponics is rewarding... the joy of growing my (and perhaps yours) own food... sharing information and visual curiosities... dreaming future potentials... discussing and sharing food (in many ways)... and being part of a exciting time in the field. The diversity of people that come together through hydroponics is a beautiful.

In 'Circular System IIV' (the vertical hanging system in my studio) I decided to propagate a mix of delicate and delectable edible greens that taste best raw. A 'Paris Market Mix', Baby Bibb, Read Oak Leaf (Only 2 plants this time), a German heirloom called 'Green Wave' (which will be spicy and robust I think..) and that may cover it. In 30-40 days (or much sooner) I will be able to harvest, invite friends, colleagues and advisors into the studio for a second 'Simple Salad Social'... (maybe I need a new name).

From Eco-Art hanging in space, growing edibles, to plate, to mind and body... I like the sound and feel of what is happening, and what is to come. The plan is to set the Stage (My Studio) for a happening/event of harvesting (with eyes watching), and feeding 8-15 people simple salads that I make 'to order'.

After moving and doing as much as I did today, I am tired and ready to call it day...
If you are reading this and want to come to the event, let me know. Details and progressions to come.

Back Ups

2010-02-10T09:58:00.001-08:00

: )

Bumps in the Road (Rolling with the Punches)

2010-02-10T05:23:00.000-08:00

Build it up, Tear it Down- Repeat.

Its been a really rough last three days... last week actually. Since Sunday I have been under the weather. Yesterday I had a temperature of a 101. In the evening I went to my studio to address how 'Circular System IIV' was looking and running. Not good. Monday I saw I had a problem- a strange (and new to me) mould growing... and not just one type, three! I was advised by a hydroponics expert to add some hydrogen peroxide (1 TB. per gallon), and let that sit for a day. It did not go as planned. I tested the water... Nitrogen good. Ammonia, no problem. PH, solid 7.1... everything should be okay. Yet, the plants looked like shit. Spotty and weak, with dried up edges (how there are dry edges in a hydroponic system is behind me). I called a fellow expert. He says for some reason the particular varietal I am growing (Red Oak Leaf Lettuce), is just not doing well. Strange, because I have grown this varietal before... but it doesn't matter. This is a new batch, new year, different seed. This is the NATURE of working with living things. Not everything will end up the same, there are variables beyond my control, and the very fact that we can (and do) control nature is an illusion. I have grown this 'Red Oak Leaf Lettuce' several times before and never had an issue. Actually, it is one of my favorite varietals (for taste, color, and texture), and this is by far the worst batch I have ever seen.

After the discussion with Jay (the follow expert) I decided it was time to tear down and start again. The plants looked horrible (2-3 weeks behind what they should look like), the water quality (while at the moment was checking out), has been spiking strangely and is inconsistent. I noticed a strange smell coming from the water...

I decide to tear everything down. First remove the plants. The soil-less substrate, the plants and roots, the bottles.
Carefully I take each plant out. I have to disinfect all soil-less substrate (media)... rinsing, rinsing, scrubbing, bleaching, rinsing and more. Repeat. Each bottle has to be scrubbed out, disinfected and rinsed. I do this. Then empty the tank of water. Mind you, this is a 50 gallon tank= 420lb... then fresh water in, another 420lb... and I do this all while I have a temperature. : / No other choice, as I am racing the clock, tick-tock. I need all the time I have.

Luckily, I have other baby seedlings going. Some beautiful things, that I have also done well before. I have decided to mix up the varietals, put on a happy face and go at it again.

I will re-install plants after the new water has sat for 48 hours... then I will get some fish. And I have decided I am going for standard goldfish.

The Three Tiers: MFA Thesis Exhibition Events

2010-01-27T12:24:00.000-08:00

My MFA Thesis work is both a written document and a produced body of visual work. The visual work consists of three "tiers", each tier leading into the other. While there are overlapping concepts and themes, each tier has a different context, location (site), and focus of exploration.

1: Title: Circular System VIII (An Eco-Art Harvest Event)
Location: UM Graduate Studios (1631 S. State St.)
Dates: Ongoing
Start Date: January 1
End Date: April 30
Harvest End: TBD (Guessing: Mid-March)

Description: Circular System VIII is an extension of exploratory work about alternative agricultural methods, water recycling, aquatic ecosystems, and symbiotic relationships created between plants, animals, and humans. The system is currently up and running, and is in a constant state of change (the plants are growing) and I am must be attentive to keep the system balanced and in operation. A time lapse video is in process, which will span a 3 month period. I am currently growing 15 'Red Oak Leaf' lettuce plants. I project a system harvesting in Mid-March. When the plants are ready for harvest, I will open my studio to the public and invite people in for a 'Simple Salad Social: An Eco-Art Harvest Event".

Two weeks ago I had to tear down the entire system due to sick fish, and potentially ammonia and bacterial imbalances. I have learned a lot along the way.

Indeed, working with living components presents a challenge to art.

2: Title: Slivio's Vertical Wall Garden
Location: Silvio's Organic Pizza (715 North University Avenue)
www.silviosorganicpizza.com
Dates: Open to Public February 12
Reception: TBD

This Saturday is the last installation day for 'Silvio's Organic Pizza'. Silvio's is authentic Italian & organic ingredient restaurant. The business is currently under construction, as they expand to a full service facility. The vertical wall garden for Silvio's is a hybrid NFT (Nutrient Film Technology) and Drip Irrigation System. I have never seen or heard of a system like this before. The intention is that this system stay at the business, it is not as temporal as many of my other systems have been. Because of this system Silvio will be able to grow some of his own produce for the restaurant on site. The site serves as a hub for those interested in the 'Slow Food Movement', local and organic foods, and topics of urban agriculture, sustainability, and locality. I plan to have a "opening" event once the basil has matured and Silvio, his employees, the system and plants have been acclimated with each other. The conceptual development of this work is to serve the public (common good), teach others what I have learned about hydroponics, sustainable agriculture, self-reliance, and urban potentials, while I dream future projects possible and engage in the local community. The writing and contextual references for this work are currently in process, and will be incorporated into my written Thesis document in a chapter which I have entitled "The Didactic Relationship (Tier 2)" (Thank you Jan-Henrick Andersen for your feedback).

3: Title: Psychosustainium
Location: Slusser Gallery
Dates: Opening to Public: March 8
Opening Reception: March 12
Closing Reception: April 2

Description: Coming Soon!

Silvio's Vertical Garden Progressions

2010-01-26T13:45:00.000-08:00

The final installation for Silvio's Vertical Wall Garden is Saturday. I'm waiting for a few more parts to arrive (which will hopefully arrive by or before Thursday).

All is on schedule thus far, and the installation will be open for public viewing by Feb. 12th. I'm excited about this. Mostly, for the opportunity to share my creative work in a financially and socially productive way, to be able to teach others what I have learned about building these systems... and how their lives are improved, or "enriched" by having, maintaining, and by sharing the harvests and discussion about them. I also like that I will be coming back to Ann Arbor to "check up" on the system. Silvio and his family have embraced me and my work with open arms. This feels right.

I need to pick a few more parts and materials, silicon the tank, install lights, and plumbing, and do another test run, and it on! Up and running!

Next Tuesday is basil installation... the baby basil plants are in my studio looking good (but not as good as I have had them look before)... hummm.. Hope they toughen up! I'm giving them a ton of love and attention, so looking up. Sometimes though, plants need to be ignored for a few days. Even though I have been doing this for 6 years now (growing edibles from seed), I will admit I still have so much to learn. Working with living elements is a challenge for art, as well as for self.

What's Growing?

2010-01-20T17:08:00.000-08:00

Seedlings are beginning to push through, and I'm eager to take them on! Its crazy awesome to me that by the time they are at the end of their life cycle, I will be at the end of my degree completion. A written and produced Master of Fine Art's Thesis will be completed by April 12th.

Circular System (in the studio) is set to go with heirloom greens. What did I sow? Black Seeded Simpson, Oaky Red Splash (personal fav), Red Deer Tounge and a Korean Red Leaf. The Korean red leaf was a dud. The Oak Red Splash- dud. Poor seeds. It was just a gamble with the Korean Red Lead anyhow... and that's what I get for picking them up at a Korean supermarket.

For the 'Garden Wall' at Silvio's, first run I am doing ALL basil. A classic Italian Basil (seeds from Italy) and a 'Leaf Lettuce Basil'. They look good and strong and already (at the height of 2") smell divine.

So tonight I'm in the studio sowing more seeds for back up and the installation in Slusser, which I am entitling 'Psychosustainium'. More to come on that note.

Some History on Black Simpson Lettuce: "Henderson's Black Seeded Simpson Lettuce posesses one of the best documented histories among all lettuce varieties. This wonderful loose-leaf type lettuce has been favored by gardeners and seedsmen for over 150 years now and presumeably, the Simpson name in lettuce has existed since the period of 1700. There are many types of "Simpson" lettuce which have been cultivated and they are all most certainly related, although the facts about its actual origin and developer remain somewhat foggy at best. According to one source, the variety is descendent of Early Curled Simpson Lettuce which was introduced by a Mr. A. Simpson of New York in 1864. What is known for fact is that this variety was introduced commercially by the Peter Henderson Seed Co. in 1880 and further that Henderson described the variety in his book "Gardening for Profit : A Guide to the Successful Cultivation of the Market and Family Garden" in 1867" (site).

Fish & Psyches

2010-01-20T11:01:00.000-08:00

I've mentioned to many of you the extreme nightmares I've been having about fish. As of Monday they have stopped. ...I think this has a bit to do with the fact the sick fish are in good hands being cared for. Responsibility to animals weights heavy on my mind...

I wonder if there is something about fish (for some) that easy integrates into the intricacies of the creative mind?

I think its something about their movement, captivity/freedom, and ability to breathe underwater we loathe, covet, fear on a deep evolutionary level.

I thought to share an image of this beautiful photo installation by Sandy Skoglund, Revenge of the Goldfish... I see fish have penetrated minds and dreamscapes of other artists...

Commonly and historically fish have been integrated into Japanese Art and Culture. The care, tending, manipulation, and captivity captivate the viewer. The images are of "Goldfish Scooping", a game commonly played in Japan at summer festivals, called 'Kingyo Sukui'... viewer shifts to participant, as they carefully (or not so carefully) catch and scoop captive fish.

Something is fishy... and intriguing about this game, of course...
and the historical context.
Where do we fit in (U.S.A.)?
Where do I fit in (Artist/Educator)?

I'm brewing...
xoxo

Fishes & The Circular System

2010-01-20T07:38:00.001-08:00

There have been morale, logistical, and now conceptual tribulations in working with living components in my art. I’m talking about the fishes here, and other aquatic life.

While the benefits list of working with living components (animals) runs wide and deep- this writing here and now is to discuss the tribulations.

I want to address the closed aquaculture-hydroponic-edible producing system within my studio, which I entitled (long ago) 'Circular System'.

Two weeks ago I noticed that some of the fish (which had been collected from the University of Michigan & DNR’s Institute for Fisheries Research Station), looked a bit sick. Fin rot. Nasty stuff. Basically an invasive bacteria breaks a protective barrier and begins to eat away at the texture and substance of the fishes' fins.

After consulting several experts I have decided to tear down the system and return the wild fish to Saline. The research station, equip with dozens of holding tanks, fresh ground water (pulled in from a creek), and the watchful and experienced eye of the researcher who works there (Brad Utrup), the fish have a better chance of being nursed back to health.

The experience of tending to sick fish, and watching the system basically collapse in on itself prompted deeper reflection on the implications of the species of the fish and how they relate to the conceptual and physical aspects of the work.

Firstly, let me diverge on some epicurean observations…
Imagine standing above a 50-gallon fish tank containing “wild” fishes, aquatic plants and stone. Above it hang edibles, growing from the water recycled from the fish below. You breathe in deeply and notice no strong smells… a bit of musty humidity from the tank- but no fish stank! You reach up, pinch a small piece of an edible heirloom green, and taste. Its sweet, clean, crisp. Good stuff. Now, imagine doing the same thing, except in this tank there are domestic fish (goldfish, comets or Koi lets say)… you immediately notice a strong pungent fishy smell. These fish stink!

Its true! I have some dragon comets and gag every time I change their filter. Granted I have a VERY sensitive nose, but I can’t help but wonder how the smell of these fish is so different and how this smell will affect the edibles. Flavor is of essence here, how could it not be?

I’m embarking on tearing the system down and reconsidering the species of fish I use within the system. I realize that it is not cornerstone to the work that the fish are wild, but what is cornerstone (to all my creative work) is striving to be an environmental steward. And to be conscious of how my actions are effecting the environment around me. Another fact is that my psyche is deeply affected by the living organisms that I work and co-habitat with. They affect my daily life, the flow of action and observation, and my dreamscapes.

I’m still mulling it over and researching (to find out if this smell will effect the taste of the greens) and will be back at it soon. I’m hoping to come to a solid decision by the end of the weekend.

** In case you are curious about how the system works: fish waste fuels the growth for the edibles. Nitrogen in the system is recycled/cycled as water from a the fish tank flows over plant roots. The plants absorb the needed nutrients for growth, while the water is filtered of unneeded residues, nitrogen and ammonia.

Staying True to Your Word While Staying True.

2010-01-05T19:04:00.001-08:00

________________________________________________

I recently asked an accomplished international sculptor if he had any advice to offer about producing a thesis. He said, "learn to be mean with your time."

Being mean with your time is difficult when so many good people are in my life.

People I want and like to give time to (share, learn, give).

Plus, productive and progressive conversations take place...
Collaboration happens, and an experience is shared.

__________________________________________________

I hear the act of giving is a language of love.

I express this language openly, with mindful intent. I am a giver to the core.

[Though perhaps sometimes my mind is too mind-full.]

It is difficult to be Zen in the city.

_______________________________________________________

Notes: I feel the highest highs and lowest lows. This is common in artists. Some of the best artists were manic depressive (e.g. Van Gogh and Virgina Woolf)(cite book).

Always needing and wanting we are (us humans).
Except for the enlighten perhaps, the contended.

See, I think I need emotion in the city.
It helps me to keep my wits about me.
My ability to decipher and respond, observe carefully.
If bored, I feel a tendency to act out.
Without emotion cities would be quite boring.
They often are when few expressive people are present.

...

TRUTH: It is when I am able express myself openly while experiencing some physical and mental exertion that I feel most balanced, effective, rational, creative and in good personal and societal standing.

Though I seek Zen in the city.

Note to Self: Can be continued with ideas on open spaces, quiet places, retreat, and mental restoration.

Slivio's Hydroponic Wall Installation

2010-01-04T13:44:00.000-08:00

I'm developing a hydroponic wall garden to be installed in 'Silvio's Organic Pizza', downtown Ann Arbor. The business currently orders 8 lbs. of basil a week. I plan to teach Silvio and his staff how to grow some indoors on their own.

For a good few reasons:

1. Less fossil fuels and industrial materials consumed: No shipment is required (less gas consumed). No packaging required (less plastic/oil consumed)

2. In terms of energy it is still (arguably) more efficient to grow some of your own food. Since no packaging or transportation is required and the lights being used are low energy compact florescence, and water is recycled in the system (for a given amount of time), it is a more sustainable practice for attaining needed ingredients (food).

2. Locality: The site of Silvio's Organic Pizza is already a melting pot of green movement activists, organic foodies, urban agriculturists and crowds of people doing work for the environment and people. By placing my work in this context I am adding to an established community (contributing work that functions as a departure point for discussion on alternative urban agricultural practices, local foods, organic foods, sustainability and "green"design). Community resonates.

There are more reasons yet... but I'm feeling day dreamy at the moment.

I imagine this work as a meditation or permutation of sustainable practices and thought. The work is a culmination of contexts: environmental art, sustainable design, alternative urban agricultural practices, sustainable living, and viewer (owner) participation.

Silvio and his team are optimistic about the project and have voiced their willingness and excitement to learn how to tend and maintain the system, grow their own basil and various green and herbs indoors, and engage the public (patrons) with the system.

Thoughts:
-The materials used in this system are very specific. I'm thinking about the environmental impact of the materials (production and manufacturing, embodied energy, human health, full life cycle). Standard issue PVC cannot be used here (though it would be the easiest), since there are too many emerging environmental and health concerns in respect to this material.

-PVC IS BAD FOR PEOPLE AND THE ENVIRONMENT!!!

"A 1997 U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report concluded that the development and acceptance by the PVC industry of a closed loop polymerization process in the late 1970s "almost completely eliminated worker exposures" and that "new cases of hepatic angiosarcoma in vinyl chloride polymerization workers have been virtually eliminated."[31]

According to the EPA, "vinyl chloride emissions from polyvinyl chloride (PVC), ethylene dichloride (EDC), and vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) plants cause or contribute to air pollution that may reasonably be anticipated to result in an increase in mortality or an increase in serious irreversible, or incapacitating reversible illness. Vinyl chloride is a known human carcinogen that causes a rare cancer of the liver."[32] EPA's 2001 updated Toxicological Profile and Summary Health Assessment for VCM in its Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) database lowers EPA's previous risk factor estimate by a factor of 20 and concludes that "because of the consistent evidence for liver cancer in all the studies...and the weaker association for other sites, it is concluded that the liver is the most sensitive site, and protection against liver cancer will protect against possible cancer induction in other tissues."[33]

A 1998 front-page series in the Houston Chronicle claimed the vinyl industry has manipulated vinyl chloride studies to avoid liability for worker exposure and to hide extensive and severe chemical spills into local communities.[34] Retesting of community residents in 2001 by the U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) found dioxin levels similar to those in a comparison community in Louisiana and to the U.S. population.[35] Cancer rates in the community were similar to Louisiana and US averages.[36]" (citation)

More info about the health harms of PVC (here). While I want to help educate about how harmful PVC is, there are larger issues at hand, like how difficult it actually was to get hold of alternative and environmentally friendly materials.

I'm waiting for a shipment from Amberway Equine producers of an HDPE (High-density Polyethylene)equestrian fence posts, which will work perfect (if all goes to plan).

After doing some mental excavating I remembered artists group N55 and their 'Manual from Home Hydroponics Unit' (see here) . In effect, my piece embraces the same concept (problem solution), but lies within some additional contexts, which are both personal and widely applicable. For example, they use PVC, and the unit is places in the privacy of the home. Its not site specific. These are not critiques (I don't even think HDPE was available when this work was created in '97, but regardless), these are observations for progressing the way I speak about and understand this work.

TEACHING people how to utilize hydroponics is encompassed in my thesis focus: sustainability. How does and can this work create and recreate sustainable practices and frameworks, is precisely the question I'm asking.

(image from N55)

Open Studio

2009-11-18T17:51:00.000-08:00

Livelihood and Lively Walls

2009-11-15T16:52:00.000-08:00

Images: Non-Hydroponic Vertical Wall Gardens. Image 1: Installed by myself and Brett Moody (Private residence, Chicago), Images 2, by Patrick Blanc

My thesis outline is done and since I've been knee deep in research since July, I feel well on my way. In short, things are feeling good. Now for the 'looking' aspect, which is in the works.

My thesis is divided into three "tiers", and the second tier, though containing conceptual and community aspects, has to do with proposing the installation of a hydroponic vertical wall garden in Ann Arbor's own 'Silvio's' (here).

So where do I start? The design and proposal (in process as of today), but to be honest, I haven't seen (ever) a hydroponics vertical wall garden that visually meets my needs as an artist. These systems tend to me uber geeking looking (see here).

And of course, looking to relevant projects created by others!

Vertical garden wall super star, Patrick Blanc, and his company ELT make these fantastic living walls. (see here). I can't help but wonder, who maintains them? Obviously there is a success rate, but to which end, some of them fail miserably.

Also known as 'BIO WALLS', there are supposedly only 10 "bio walls" in the world (though I really doubt this), and 7 of those are claimed to be in the US. Urban gardening bloggers 'Inside Urban Green' have a few things to say about this (here)

I see this work as a hot (futuristic and optimistic) intersection of art, design, horticulture, and environmentalism.

Away we go.

The 'Food Probe'

2009-10-30T16:13:00.000-07:00

This is sweet and incorporates the concepts I've been working with. Inhabitat just posted renderings of a Philips Design home farming unit, what they are calling the 'Food Probe'. It integrates aguaculture, hydroponics, and high tech food preparation techniques. Check out the full article here.

Sustainability Series: Artprize

2009-10-21T12:26:00.000-07:00

Photos taken by Alex Nagle

Sustainability Series, Installation Photos

2009-10-21T12:25:00.001-07:00

What is Sustainability?

2009-10-08T14:05:00.001-07:00

As I begin to outline my thesis, it is vital for me to define related terms. First, exactly was is sustainability? I have been toying with this question, these ideas, for some time time now. What does sustainable mean? What does sustainable look like? Where is sustainability?

I didn't choose to investigate sustainability because it is cool (and it is). I don't care much for the fact that the term "sustainability" has become an all encompassing buzz word for selling things and looking good... I suppose in the same way that 'going green' has become chic and hip. Don't get me wrong, the more the merrier, but what we need to be thinking about are the key issues and reasons for going green and for looking at sustainability. I am, after all, member to the first generation at has to thinking about global issues. We live in a global world now. With a fast pace and pushing global economy. What I do, or don't do, effects others.

Sustainability is a simple concept that is contextually and socially complicated. It can be dizzying. Even Wikipedia warms its readers (when looking up the definition of sustainability), "this article may be too long to comfortably read and navigate"(LINK). Indeed Wikipedia, sustainability is too complex to short-hand and quickly summarize. Though, I still long to get to the heart of the matter. Why did I choose such a complicated topic? I can answer this question!

I chose to investigate sustainability as a theme in my research and creative work because it is a concept of utmost importance for the continuation of our species on this planet. How else will we survive? We are depleting resources... we are running out of things, taking too much too fast. Our children and children's children will have to know sustainability. They will have to, to survive. The peoples inhabiting this planet are facing very pressing and complex issues; natural resource depletion, increased energy demands, population growth, the rise of the middle class on a global scale, biodiversity loss, collapse of fisheries, dead zones, water issues, rising CO2 levels in the atmosphere and oceans, causing global climate change, and well... that is just to name a few. How we define (and redefine) responsibility or lack of responsibility for these pressing and complex issues will effect the stability of the 21st century, what many have begun to call the Energy Climate Era.

Okay, back to the main topic here:In the broad sense sustainability is the capacity to endure. ...the capacity to endure.

Sustainability, as a shared concept, is still relatively new. According to the EPA, the most widely quoted definition is the "Brundtland definition" of the 1987 Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development; "meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs, " (LINK).

People I realize I can't save the world, plus the world has all the time in the world. My work can't save the world either, or even get the en masses to change their non-sustainable habits. Again, I am bunting up again issues much larger than myself. I can however, and will, push boundaries and challenge established systems that degrade people and the planet. Many of the systems that we depend upon today for our consumer and economic "needs" degrade people and the environment. Plain and simple.

Secondly, my work is not a design problem. It is essentially experiential and demonstrative of sustainability and natural biologic processes that we tend (as a whole) to overlook. I want to point out the wonder and beauty of the world with grace and dignity. It is my social responsibility to remain honest.

It has been my intention, as an artist, to give the viewer an opportunity to reflect on the living whole, our human condition, and the delicate ecological balance that surrounds us all.

Are we connected to everything? We are. We live in a closed ecosystem planet earth. We can't continue with many of our current ecologic and economic models because they treat the planet as if it is infinite (growth expansion, growth expansion), and the planet is finite people. We just don't see and feel this everyday because we have been blessed with such abundance and have built our cities to create the illusion that we are separate from nature.

We are not separate from nature, we are nature.

The Sustainability Series

2009-09-24T17:59:00.001-07:00

COME OUT AND SEE MY NEW WORK!
WHERE: The Brass Works Bldg., 648 Monroe Center NW, 5th Floor (take the elevator up) Grand Rapids, MI.
WHEN: SEPT. 23-OCT 10
TIMES: M.-Th. 5-8p, F.&S. 2-10p, Sun. 12-6p
VOTE: VIA TXT: text "25191 vote up" to 878787
INFO: www.artprize.org

Blood, Tears, Sweat.

2009-09-22T13:11:00.000-07:00

There were plenty of blood, tears, sweat shed. After a 60-hour work week and havoc re-adaptation into the academic whirlwind, I feel right at home and more exhausted than ever. Everything I had left to give, to physical waking life, went into the installation.

Then, when I though for a moment that I couldn't push anymore, it all came together, and even better than planned.

I have never had to outsource so much work in my young adult life. I had to count on a lot of people... more than 1,000 lb. of physical materials were moved, engineers were involved, construction crew, designers, et al...

Bottom line is, without help, this would not have been possible.

I would like to thank:

Rick Hungerford Jr., for his mental stamina, and immaculate work ethic.
Eso, for material inspiration and grounding conversation.
Patrick, for his construction know-how and consistent presence.
Sam Cummings, for making the space available.
The CDW crew, for their hard work and new found dedication to the arts.
To Crispin Klemp, for his eye for design and refined musical pallette.
Rob Corcoran for his engineering.
To Edge-Sweets Co., aka Sr., for so much...
To my family and friends who shower me with love and support.

Upcoming Event: Artprize

2009-08-22T14:18:00.000-07:00

I'm currently preparing for the Grand Rapids event 'Artprize'.

My work is being hosted by CWD real estate investment at the 'Brass Works Building', located at 648 Monroe Ave NW (Map)

Opening: Wednesday, September 23rd
Potential Opening Reception/Gathering: Friday, September 25th

Closing Reception: October 10th

News about the event (here) and (here)

Artprize.org

Additional information and details to follow.

Oasis in a Desert

2009-05-01T11:46:00.000-07:00

Active Site: Circular System III (Oasis in a Desert)

2009-04-19T18:37:00.000-07:00

Circular System III (Oasis in a Desert)
A Method for Alternative Urban Agriculture
Ongoing
Tapped Lake Michigan water, light, edible heirloom greens, soilless substrate, aquatic life, electricity

This installation is member to a body of work that has inspired continuous research and creative inquiry of alternative agricultural methods, water filtration and aquatic ecosystems.

Using a pump to flow nutrients from fish waste through plant roots and soil-less substrate, water in the system is purified while edible plants are grown- demonstrating that in a healthy ecosystem there is no waste.

Native plants, herbs and vegetables can be grown at little or no cost, year round, in nearly any environment. The system improves air quality, helps regulate humidity and provides warm ambient light for humans, beneficial attributes in temperate, dry, dark, and/or cold environments.

It is my aspiration to provide the viewer the opportunity to reflect on the living whole and the delicate ecological balances that surround us.

Active Site: Emerege

2009-04-16T17:06:00.001-07:00

I am sincerely looking forward to this event and have three installations installed on the 3rd floor. Come check it out and say hello!

According to Fresco: "Your Work Is The Future."

2009-03-16T20:36:00.000-07:00

An amazing attribute of U of M, specifically the School of Art & Design is the Penny Stamps Lecture Series. Thanks to sweet Penny (a generous UM alumna and Ann Arbor & Arts philanthropist), I am able to meet with a 'famous', but more importantly, amazingly diverse and inspiring artists, inventors, curators, theorists, activists, and like minded futurists-- once a week! To name a few, my favorites include none less than Michael Moore, Cary Fowler, Daniel Martinez, and now theJacque Fresco, creator of 'The Venus Project', and non-profit 'Future By Design', as well as the mastermind behind the controversial film Zeitgeist. I will tell you this: regardless of the his controversial ideologies of future and social engineering, it was a sheer pleasure to have both Jacque and his partner, Roxanne Meadows, in my studio for a private 1 hour conversation. I also joined them for dinner, with a few select faculty and students in downtown Ann Arbor for an evening.

After I gave Jacque a short presentation of my work, focusing on my works involving 'Circular Systems' and hydroponics, he replied definitely, and without hesitation. 'Oh. This is the future.' and then later, 'We [human beings] will depend on these methods for survival in not so long from now."

This really got me thinking... how and why is this work, my work, the future? After a year of researching topics of water remediation, aquaculture, sustainable agriculture, and hydroponics design and experimentation- to an extent, I will have to agree. Regardless of the futurist appeal, I am doing this work because it makes sense. We need creative solutions to implement alternatives to an agricultural system that is built on oil. We need to understand the delicate balance between our water use and consumption and the natural environment.

We need all the vision we can get- and I am talking about right now, as I am talking about the future.

Please See:
TIME (Urban Farming Photos)
Inhabitat (Farming Solution)
The Venus Project
Vertical Gardens (By Patrick Blanc)
Lordy, even Martha Stewart is featuring Vertical Gardens & Living Walls
For the kurious kitty (backyard aquaponics)

Images: 1. Prototype Design for Seawater Hydroponics Farm, Dubai (by STUDIOMOBLE) 2. Regeneration in my studio. Circular System I, round 3.

Blank Artist Event Installations

2009-03-15T15:32:00.001-07:00

While installing a series of collected and impromptu works, in the unlikely location of the event (THC), it occurred to me that it had been over a year since I had shown work outside of an academic setting. A rarity of my creative practice, and I was indeed thrilled just to be there- finding ways to incorporate my work in the dark and seedy night club. I wondered, 'How will this work be perceived? Will it blend into the setting, or insight inquiry? Will people want to buy it? ' By the end of the evening, my questions were answered. '

I was met happily by strangers who asked thoughtful, elaborate, and direct questions about the work. People were genuinely curious, especially about the continued work Template for Cultivation and the installation Dead Wood, Live Plants, which was wide spread throughout the club.
Work sold and people wanted conversation about the work.

It was interesting to incorporate the work in the setting (a sexy, seedy night club), by juxtapositioning the work above sofas, next to T.V.s, and in the men and women's restrooms. While installing I raised eyebrows, but a week later, when I came back to de-install the work, the owner and staff asked if they could have the Dead Wood, Live Plants, saying '...It gives the place a more organic and moody feel. I like it."

Observations: The living elements of the work, not surprisingly, did not thrive. The plants (Tilansia) from Dead Wood, Live Plants shriveled up a bit, and the combination of lack of sunlight and dirty air (dust and cigarette smoke) lead to strange bacterial combinations that I haven't encountered before.

02.03.09 Blank Artists Four Year Event

2009-02-04T13:01:00.000-08:00

This Friday marks the 4 year Anniversary of the artist collective 'Blank Artists', an artist collective I have been member to and supported since 2005. I will be exhibiting a collection of work, as well as two new installations of work from a four year period.

Outmoder: More Photos

2009-02-04T12:50:00.001-08:00

Check out additional photos of the show at the University of Michigan site here

Gallery to Plate

2009-02-03T13:44:00.000-08:00

The benefit to tearing down the show was an early harvest. Plenty of baby greens (swiss chard, red romaine, deer tongue lettuce). I appreciate the productive and beneficial quality to my current creative work, having provided nutrients during winter months.

Outmoder: New Work by John Walters & Ashley Lieber

2009-02-03T13:08:00.001-08:00

The images above are from the show, 'Outmoder'. It was up for viewing Jan. 9th-30th, with a opening and opening reception in the School of Art & Design's Warren-Robbins Gallery. The exhibition encouraged various creative engagements, including an animated 360 degree rendering made from student drawings, guest presentations on sustainable gardening methods and Ecological Art, bringing together engaging conversation with faculty, students, and the general public. I was thrilled to have faculty and students arrive to the receptions from various schools of study including: biology, hydrologic engineering, aerospace engineering, medicine, and the School of Natural Resource and Environment.

Tranquil Effects

2009-01-28T14:00:00.000-08:00

One of the most rewarding aspects of creating Circular Systems I & II is witnessing the curiosity, in adults and children, that the work evokes. Viewers look closely and intently, play, ask questions, listen, touch, smell, and sit quietly. I have seen a wave of tranquility drape over those who spend an extended about of time with the work. I enjoy walking by the gallery and seeing a student sitting next to a piece, reading, enjoying the environment of sound, water, and living organisms.

I have received such wonderful and supportive feedback, that I am planning to continue with this work, and have begun sketches for new projects, all the while with the intention of paying close attention to supporting the positive emotions and behaviors the work evokes.

Tear Down

2009-01-28T13:44:00.000-08:00

After a much needed winter break I was thrilled to come back to School to see how my systems had held up. Circular System I (in the studio) has been feeding, myself and several friends, fresh salad greens all winter long, but over the last three weeks has developed a pretty intense algae bloom. I attribute this bloom to mainly two things:
1. The intense full spectrum lighting that runs 10 hours a day
2. The fish food was supplemented with spirulina.
There is just too much of it, and for other reasons, the system needs to be taken down and rebuilt from the ground up.

Circular System II was is great health and productivity. I took my final harvest (about 3 large paper bags worth) of salad greens. The water quality was stable and I was thrilled to see how productively edible plants can grow on two compact florescent light bulbs.

The system will be revamped, improved, and reinstalled for the show, OUTMODER opening January 9th in the Warren-Robbins Gallery in the School of Art & Design.

Award

2009-01-28T13:39:00.000-08:00

I won the 'Faculty's Choice Award', in the 'School of Art & Design All Student Show'. I am thrilled, honored, and excited about what is next to come. No doubt the majority of the money will fund creative work and perhaps a scuba dive in the Pacific this February.

Creative Problem Solving: Puddles

2009-01-28T13:24:00.001-08:00

One of the problems with 'Circular System II' was the splashing that occurred from the dripping water. While I knew the water was going to drip (that was the intention), it created more splashing than I had anticipated, and within a few hours of time accumulated water puddled around the work.

It took Jan Henrik-Andersen, a U of M rocket scientist (Ethan Eagle), and myself a week to find a solution, but we did.
Jan suggested screen and/or fabric combination, reminding me of the principles of fryer splash guards- I sewed cone shaped pieces of window screen together, and placed the cylinder shapes beneath of the dip line. This wasn't enough, water was still splashing through the screens. I added a layer of fabric, but this still was not enough. It was Mr. Eagle who suggested I stuff the fabric inside the screen cylinders, which solved the problem and changed the sound of the piece from a stream like trickle to a soft rain. Thank you gentleman.

Circular System II: Statement & A Short Video

2008-12-02T21:02:00.000-08:00

Since this video and pictures, the piece has evolved, a harvest has happened, new seeds were sown, and new clear recycled bottle containers have been implemented, so that the viewer can see the filtration process.

Circular System II
Past, Present, Future
Water, Light, Vegetation, Aquatic Life, Rocks

This project began with inquiry of aquatic ecosystems, water filtration, and hydroponics (growing plants without soil). Resulting in a convergence: an Urban Agricultural Method and Aquaponics, demonstrating that in a healthy ecosystem, there is no waste.

Using a pump to flow nutrients from fish waste through plant roots, and soilless substrate, water in the system is purified while edible plants are grown. The system consists of a 50-gallon tank, water from the Huron River, recycled soda bottles, soil-less substrate (clay balls), aquatic plants and fish, two 150W compact florescent bulbs, and edible heirloom greens (Swiss Chard, Red Oak Leaf Lettuce, Deer Tongue Romaine, and Basil). Circular System II improves air quality, allows food to be grown at little or no cost, and supplies ambient light.

This project has been in a constant state of change, it has evolved. It has required creative problem solving to reduce splashing; I have harvested edible greens, and re-sowed new seeds. The project has inspired continuous research and observation, to better understand the complexity and delicate balance of aquatic ecosystems. The system has potential as an educational tool.

It is my intention that this work provides the viewer a moment of reflection and feelings of tranquility, with the soft and continuous sound of trickling water, mimicking soft rain, and the fluid movement of swimming fish; creating a symbiotic relationship between edible plants, fish, water and humans.

For Viewing till December 10th

Slusser Gallery
UM School of Art & Design
2000 Bonisteel Blvd.
Ann Arbor, MI USA
48109-2069

HOURS
Monday through Friday: 9 am - 5 pm
Saturday: 12 - 7 pm
Closed Holidays.
Admission Free
Handicapped Accessible

Circular System II (Past, Present, Future)

2008-12-02T20:55:00.001-08:00

Regeneration: Sowing New Seeds

2008-12-02T17:48:00.000-08:00

Photos:
1. Studio View: Circular System I Post Harvest Event, with live cuttings of Dogwood in the tank
2. 1.5 weeks post 'eco-harvest event'
3."
4. Circular System I view with live Dogwood clippings

I was surprised how quickly the 'Red Oak Leaf' lettuce has regenerated itself. It took merely a week, literally 7 days following the harvest event, for a salad size portion to re-sprout from the 2-Liter bottle containing it. I had left all the cuttings as is, but the Wednesday the 26th, I sowed new seedlings (leaf lettuce basil, swiss chard, red oak leaf lettuce), cleaned out the drip lines, scrubbed out the bottles, and rinsed out the substrate, in a fairly short period of time, thanks to help of a friend.

The fish are doing well, but will not hold still long enough for me to get a good shot. The largest Green Sunfish is developing beautiful stripes and brilliant blue spots- and the smaller ones are following suit. They have worked out a sort of "pecking order", and one of the Flathead Minnows has grown a bit too aggressive for my taste, nipping at the other fish, and especially picking on the lone Sickleback Fish, who hides in the plants. I am not sure what I am going to do about it yet- if anything. Perhaps someone would like some sauteed 'Smelt'? Just Kidding.

A Simple Salad Social: Eco-Art Harvest Event (Recap)

2008-12-02T17:30:00.001-08:00

For this social event (held November 21st) opened my studio to the public, inviting people in to eat, drink, and talk, while I harvested greens from my Eco-Art project, 'Circular System I'. Guests had the choice of two salads, which I served to them per order, and sipped Michigan cider and wine.

While serving these simple salads, I engaged in conversation about how 'Circular System I' came to be, how it works, and about Michigan aquatic plants and fish, and our local ecosystems, specifically the Huron River.

I gave a quick demonstration on how to take cuttings from woody plants, how to grow your own micro-greens in winter, while discussing the health and environmental benefits to consuming fresh food that you grow yourself sustainably.

Huron River Remediation: Ecological Restoration

2008-12-02T17:04:00.000-08:00

My 'Ecological Restoration' class (NRE589: Professor Bob Grese), in the School of Natural Resource and Environment, spent a Friday morning learning about river remediation, joined with engineering students, who are focusing on river restoration, we learned how to take live cuttings that can be incorporated into restorative projects. Placed at the river's edge, about 60% of the cuttings will regenerate themselves in the spring, taking roots, and in turn helping to prevent further erosion. Placed correctly, the woody plants or trees absorb runoff, and filter pollutants before they reach the river.

This day, we cut small pieces of 'Red Twigged Dogwood' Cornus Sericea(pictured above).

Afterwards I got into a conversation with a last year graduate student enrolled in the SNRE, and she told me that since the Dogwood is not yet fully dormant, it could have a chance for regeneration in a greenhouse environment, with help of a mild rooting hormone. I took the opportunity to experiment, and enjoyed my walk along the river, arms full of bright red dogwood branches that were too small to be used.

On the way back downtown I stopped at the University of Michigan Fisheries Annex, to say hello to Professor Jim Breck, who has come to be an advisor of mine. We discussed the health of the Huron River, the significance of rain gardens, and native Michigan trees and aquatic life.

Just. Being. Me.

2008-11-22T07:59:00.000-08:00

Man-Made "Trees" Getty Museum

"Listening is such a simple act. It requires us to be present, and that takes practice, but we don't have to do anything else. We don't have to advise, or coach, or sound wise. We just have to be willing to sit there and listen." -Margaret J. Wheatley

Even though my to-do list is piled high with tasks for the completion of the semester,
the days seem shorter,
the work load is heavier,
I am very calm.

I will get done what needs to get done.

Something has changed inside me this semester; perception and approach.

It is clear that this world needs love just as much as it needs hard working academics.

I have found ways to extend my creative practice as a way of life.

There is no beginning and there is no end.

Everything is in a constant state of change.

Balance is the key, and it takes practice.

The mind works all day, firing signals, running, turning, attempting to find patterns, chattering;in Yoga we call this the "monkey mind". The mind wants to chatter, this is its natural tendency. Through practicing being present with whomever it is I am with, and with myself, along with Yoga; consciousness of the breath, and meditation, I am able to find a greater inner peace and sense of harmony with the world...
I am able to quiet the chatter.

Last semester I nearly forgot how important it is for an artist to remain social- to create community, and set outside that community as well- this social rejuvenation has benefit my mind and creative practice in ways I had not anticipated.

There is tried and true wisdom in the saying 'work hard play hard' (while you're young).

Creativity is a way of life.

A Simple Salad Social: An Eco-Art Harvest Event (Invitation)

2008-11-20T14:06:00.001-08:00

Simple Salad Social
An Eco-Art Harvest Event

Friday, November 21st, 2008
7PM-8PM

LOCATION:
The Art & Design Graduate Studio of Ashley Lieber

WHAT?!

It's time to harvest! Come take advantage of my culinary skills, enjoy delish heirloom greens, drink organic blueberry green tea, be social, check out the project, and if you like I’ll teach you how to grow micro-greens yourself this winter.

ABOUT:

This project, which I have titled Circular System I, began with inquiry of local aquatic ecosystems and hydroponics experimentation. Resulting in a convergence of sustainable urban agriculture and aquaponics, demonstrating that in a healthy ecosystem, there is no waste. Using a pump to flow nutrients from fish waste through plant roots, water in the system is purified while edible plants are grown. The system consists of a 50-gallon tank, water from the Huron River, recycled 2-Liter bottles, soilless substrate, Michigan aquatic plants and fish, a grow lamp, and edible heirloom greens. Circular System allows food to be grown at little cost, even in winter, supplies full spectrum light, increasing the production of vitamin D within the body, improves air quality, and provides a tranquil environment with the soft and continuous sound of flowing water and the fluid movement of swimming fish; creating a symbiotic relationship between edible plants, fish, and humans.

Red Oak Leaf Lettuce Salad

Dried cranberries, toasted walnuts & whole-grain mustard seed-apple cider vinaigrette

Purple Musclun Salad

Rosemary-garlic roasted Michigan potatoes & Michigan red wine vinaigrette

Circular System II (Past, Present, Future)

2008-11-20T14:05:00.001-08:00

This work, titled "Circular System II (Past, Present, Future) consists of a custom 50 gallon tank, water, rock, a water pump, edible and ornamental vegetation, and a custom engineered manifold system, with two compact fluorescent light bulbs.

This work is available for viewing in the Slusser Gallery, School of Art and Design, on North Campus, University of Michigan.

It is up for viewing November 14th till December 11th.

LOCATION

UM School of Art & Design
2000 Bonisteel Blvd.
Ann Arbor, MI USA
48109-2069

HOURS

Monday through Friday: 9 am - 5 pm
Saturday: 12 - 7 pm
Admission Free
Handicapped Accessible

A convergence of Ecological Art, Urban Agriculture and Aquaponics. By using a pump to flow nutrients from fish waste through plant roots, the water in the system is purified, while the plants utilize the nutrients to grow. "Circular System II" allows plants either ornamental or edible plants to be grown year round, and is a healthy and self sustaining indoor habitat for the aquatic life (plants and fish). The work becomes a place for imagination and relaxation. The soft trickling of water appears like rain on the surface of a puddle or pond. The fluid movements and bright contrasting colors of the fish provide a meditative and/or playful focal point.

The goals of this second project where to expand on the visual components of "Circular System I", allowing the viewer to walk around the work, and imagine spacial and conceptual possibilities within the work. This work will continue to evolve, as I continue to learn more about the delicate balance of these contained ecosystems, aquatic life, water filtration, and symbiotic relationships between our food sources, fish, water, and human beings. This work will literally be evolutionary, as it has already changed since the opening of the show. New seedlings have been sown, flowing kale has been removed and given as gifts, and greens have been eaten. One challenging aspect of this work is finding a balance between inputs and outputs. If you remove plants, you will have less root systems to filter the water, and it could become cloudy. This is why it has remain essential to remain open to the work as a living, functioning, utilizable, and delicate organism; a "Bio-Sculpture", as coined by artist Jackie Brookner. I see it as an Eco-Agro-Sculpture, but this perception, is sure to evolve as well.

Thanks to artists Amy Youngs and Ken Rinaldo for encouragement to join a creative dialogue through sustainable aquaponics design. Part of the language used to describe this project has been adapted from their project "Farm Fountain". To Professor John Marshall for the encouragement. Professor Jan-Henrik for his insightful criticism and brilliant problem solving, The University of Michigan School of Art and Design, and the Presidents of Edge-Sweet Industries Rick Hungerford Sr. and Jr.

Observation Papers: Reconnecting with our Natural Environment

2008-11-16T18:08:00.000-08:00

"The only constant is change."
-Heraclitus (Greek Philosopher)

As I sit here grading papers, reading what my students have written about their connection to the natural environment, I am awe struck in moments of time- dazed with amazement. Inspired and reminded why I am here, doing it is what I do at the University of Michigan. What a wonderful place in the world to be.

A few excerpts from brilliant students at the School of Art & Design:

"It is essential to reconnect with (a) childlike way of experiencing nature. We were made to have a relationship with the land, and changes in technology and the environment have been so gradual that we do not notice how far distanced we have become. As I said before... if we aren't interacting with the environment on a small scale, it makes it challenging for us to relate to it on a global scale."

-Caroline Aulis

"...Shouldn't we celebrate our environment on a day-to day basis, and revel in the natural wonders that the earth abundantly provides? ... I have come to realize the importance of preserving our environment, and how it can serve as tremendous inspiration to reach our own individual goals and overcome any challenge that we may face throughout our existence."

-Meredith Kramer

"I expect myself to be a new person, ready to encounter the natural world at all times, leaving behind my old self centered wats just as I expected my tree to be in full change of color as fall moves into winter... (yet) if we expect immediate change we will give up before we can move in any direction at all."

-Kelsey Sovereign

Open Studio Event

2008-11-14T08:32:00.000-08:00

Come see what I have been up to! I am opening my studio to the public! There is an image below of one of my current projects, which I am calling an "Eco-Tat" or formally, "Circular System I". I also have a new work, thanks to the President of Edge Sweets Industries, the infamous Rick Hungerford Jr., the work, which I began dreaming up a few months ago, is functioning well and up for viewing in the North Campus, School of Art and Architecture building, Slusser Gallery. Please do come say hello!

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2008

What is Environmental Art?

2008-10-13T10:31:00.000-07:00

Many outside of the University keep asking me the question.

Environmental Art is art that improves our relationship with the natural world.
As I write this, indeed, the movement is growing and changing.

Artists Lynne Hull outlines that some environmental art:
"
- Informs and interprets nature and its processes, or educates us about environmental problems

- Is concerned with environmental forces and materials, creating artworks affected or powered by wind, water, lightning, even earthquakes

- Re-envisions our relationship to nature, proposing new ways for us to co-exist with our environment

- Reclaims and remediates damaged environments, restoring ecosystems in artistic and often aesthetic ways
"

A site that has become a regular checkpoint:

The Green Museum

Vandana Shiva

2008-10-07T21:50:00.000-07:00

This name keeps appearing, laying low then resurfacing in my research and personal reading.

Currently EATYH DEMOCRACY: Justice, Sustainability, and Peace (South End Press, 2005).

"Earth Democracy is both an ancient worldview and an emergent political movement for peace, justice, and sustainability. Earth Democracy connects the particular to the universal, the diverse to the common, and the local to the global. It incorporates what in India we refer to as vasudhaiva kutumbkam (the earth family)- the community of all beings supported by earth.

Native American and indigenous cultures worldwide have understood and experienced life as a continuum between human and nonhuman species and between present, past, and future generations."

Theoretic Interconnectedness: Environmental Ethic, Eco-Art and Ecofeminism

2008-09-30T14:56:00.000-07:00

“We have fouled local nests before and driven regional faunas to extinction but we were never able to unleash planetary effects before this century’s concern with nuclear fallout, ozone holes and putative global warming. In this contrast we are searching for proper themes and language to express our environmental worries.”
STEPHAN JAY GOULD
The Golden Rule

While I’m personally encouraged by the phrase “dooms day”, we must all face an unpleasant fact: the human race will suffer for the mistakes that we have made and continue to make today. The earth has all the time in the world. We do not. It is quite apparent with our current global market, which pushes growth and expansion, that “…growth is no longer making most people wealthier, but instead generating inequality and insecurity… bumping up against physical limits so profound- like climate change and peak oil- that continuing to expand the economy many be impossible; the very attempt may be dangerous.”
Adopting an environmental ethic can be as easy as deciding what to eat for breakfast, it is an ethical integration of consumer consciousness. At the next level are various degrees of social responsibility; promoting awareness, sharing your environmental knowledge and know-how, taking responsibility for your own actions and consumptions, and considering how you are interconnected to the local and the global economy and ecology.
Writer Stephan Jay Gould, in his essay The Golden Rule: A Proper Scale for Our Environmental Crisis, states: “Two linked arguments are often promoted as a basis for an environmental ethic:

1.We live on a fragile planet now subject to permanent derailment and disruption by human intervention;

2.Humans must learn to act as stewards for this threatened world”

I see my creative practice as a professional artists beginning to take shape through the proper themes and language I have longed for. Most prevalently of these themes are ecological art, ecology, and ecofeminism. As for the ecological artists I am looking at (to name a few): Hans Haacke, Helen Mayer, Merle Laderman Ukeles, Bonnie Sherk, Patricia Johanson, Viet Ngo, Mel Chin and Avital Geva. All these artists are not only representing land and/or environmental art, but are investigating environment as ecosystem and as a depository of social-political realities. Exploring nature as a dynamic, interactive, and interconnected system. Pointing to how human relations with the natural environment are based not only on perception and pleasure, but waste and destruction, industrial development and agriculture, and exploitation of land, resources, people and animals. The ecological artists I studied this summer, and continue to study, provide the groundwork for the future and continue to inspire my current research.

Questioning the disconnect we experience from our natural environment is part of an evaluative quest to better take hold of the language I am seeking. Not only could I not answer where my tap water is coming from, but I could not tell you where it is treated, what is added, and what is done with the waste once it is treated.

Theorist Maria Kaika discusses this disconnect from water in her book City of Flows: Modernity, Nature and the City. Offering analysis of how modernity and the divide of nature/city has affected decision, visions, are practices for the production of the cities themselves. How is one supposed to feel connected to nature in the city when we are so physically separated? While Kaika’s discussion of the city plumbing of long, buried and hidden pipes is a bit gloomy, it also appears as a beautiful metaphor for our seemingly unavoidable disconnect. She argues that this disconnect continues because of the way in which we have built our cities. We are removed from nature and the true amount of our waste and consumption is hidden from our view- it is out of sight, out of mind, down the toilets and the drains.

I wonder if Kaika was familiar with Mierle Ukeles’ Flow City (1995)? A large artist and engineer project that made New York City landfills, waste water treatment, and recycling centers visible to the pubic through a permanent installation that was funded in part by the New York Department of Sanitation. Of the project Ukeles said, “This work is about a paradigm shift in how we relate to materials in the world. We need to grow beyond the self-destructive cycle of acquiring materials, owning them, using them and then leaving them as if they don’t exist anymore.”

In Greta Gaard’s anthology Ecofeminism: Women, Animals, Nature, a plurality of academic and activist voices come together to reverberate with concern and considerate critique of our mainstream approach to dealing with our current environmental crisis. Taking into account the fact that Ecofeminism is commonly dismissed by the mainstream, as being “essentialist”, Gaard asserts that essentialism is in fact inconsistent with the logic of mainstream ecology because all life is interconnected. Claiming that one group of persons is closer to the earth or nature, would be an invalid argument. A connection between feminism, animal liberation, and environmentalism has been made “by documenting the effects of environmental pollution and degradation on the lives of women and animals,” and, “many writers note that toxic pesticides, chemical wastes, acid rain, radiation… first take their toll on women, women’s productive systems, and children.”

Because of Ecofeminists’ interconnected sense of self, they raise insightful and valuable questions: How can our interconnectedness to each other and the environment be more productive and less destructive? How can we stop oppression on a global scale? How do we rejoin nature and society? Aside from Ecofeminists, there are many people asking these questions right now.

The three themes discussed above; Environmental Ethics, Eco-Art, and Ecofeminism offer responses that combine critique with practical strategy that are currently shaping my creative work and research.

In a Nutshell

2008-09-17T17:43:00.000-07:00

(A poster published and widely distributed during WWII by the British Government)

In the last five weeks I have focused research on aquaculture and sustainable gardening and agricultural methods. Specifically I am looking at systems that produce food, but to do cause harm to people, animals, or nature.

It is quite clear that the majority of our agricultural system in the United States is corrupt and faulty for several reasons:

1. The entire industrial agricultural system is based on oil.
2. The average American meal travels about 1500 miles from farm to plate.
3. Current methods require farmers to spray expensive pesticides and fertilizers that poison our bodies, water, and land.
4. We are seeing the disappearance of the small farmer on a large scale.
5. We are experiencing disconnect from our natural environment on a large scale: with more than 60% of our US population living in cities, which are built as disparate elements from the natural environment: we divert rainwater as waste, and we consume at the highest rate in the world both goods and resources.

This issues and many more have been informed by my reading as well as my position as assistant to Professor Joe Trumpey for a class titled: Technology and The Environment.
This class evaluates culture and consumption, specifically drawing comparisons between Americans and the rest of the world. My core responsibility is to lead a one hour discussion group once a week- in essence teaching the three books listed below.

Additionally I am taking a course in the School of Natural Resource and Environment: Ecological Restoration. In this blog I will include thoughts and inquires within this field. Ecology is my new love, or perhaps I have loved it all along, and did not know.

I am working with Dean Bryan Rogers, a trained "ex-engineer" (self proclaimed), sculptor and installation artist who was previously a director at Carnegie Mellon. He been overall supportive and productively critical of my creative work, encouraging that which challenges me personally and diverges from the work I have previously made.

I am also taking a course titled "More With Less", designed by Professor Jan Hendrick-Andersen, an Associate Professor of Design He is helping to inform my work through a better understanding of design processes and methodologies.

Yes more: I am using what remaining time I have in my studio working on my creative work, and also taking an afternoon a week to interview experts in my fields of inquiry. Yesterday it was Jim Breck the head biologist of the fish research facility in Saline, at University of Michigan.

Whew.

This is good for now.

A good start.

Books I am "teaching"/discussing with undergraduate students:

Culture Jam: How to Reverse America’s Suicidal Consumer Binge and Why We Must.
Kalle Lasn. Harper Press, 1999.

A Sand County Almanac: And Sketches Here and There.
Aldo Leopold. Oxford University Press, 1949.

Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed.
Jared Diamond. Penguin Books, 2005