"Weaving Intersections"
Environmental art installation Schiller Park pond - Village June 24 -June 29, 2023
How does art inform the science? How does science inform the art?
Weaving Intersections is a visual narrative that brings into view the role wetlands play in maintaining balance and diversity in our ecosystem.
Wetlands play an important part in water quality, flood control and biodiversity. Wetlands absorb nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus from our waterways. Wetlands also hold water to reduce the potential of flooding during major rain events and provide habitats for thousands of plants and animals.
To perform these functions, each plant is equipped with its own filtration system and specialized root system, designed to remove impurities from the water and to hold excessive amounts of water.
My attention has always been focused on the natural systems we cannot see but work to keep our eco- system in balance. As a Franklin County Master Gardener, I was offered the opportunity to take a year-long soil class. Having spent many years as a studio potter, soil composition and natural materials were the foundation of my practice. During the course of the soil class, two of my classmates and I stumbled across a branch of biogeography known as “geobotany” —the geographic distribution of plant species. Each species reflects information about the subsoil from which the plant receives nourishment. These plants are known as “indicator plants”. Plants will indicate (among other things) where large deposits of naturally occurring minerals may be found. Piecing together the relationships between the plant species and what it tells us about the soil it grows in resonated with me, and I began to explore how these processes might be translated into a visual expression.
I was particularly interested in plants that functioned as a filtration system for certain impurities, which led me to consider wetland plants. I began searching materials that reflected similar properties to a wetland plant and started exploring the capabilities of willow and bamboo as material. Knowing my work would somehow involve water, my intention was (and still is) to create a palette of materials that not only align closely to a wetland plant but also held a large degree of buoyancy within itself.
Weaving Intersections consists of 12 interlocking forms, ten of the forms are embedded with small gardens each planted with a different combination of Ohio native wetland plants. Bamboo slats imported from China and willow branches sourced from Living Willow Farms, located in Roseville, Ohio, are the structural elements of each form. Collectively the group suggests a community of lily pads.
Embedded planters are made from birch and balsa wood and sealed with an epoxy resin. Walls of the planter are supported by a series of ribs mounted to the sides of the planter. A soilless mixture provides a light medium for the plants. Although both the bamboo and willow were chosen for their buoyance, the forms are further supported by tubing that is attached to the underside of each piece.
Native wetland plants were selected not only for their ability to filter water but also for their ability to adapt to extremely wet conditions. Dogwood and willow whips and a variety of sedges (grasses) dominate the planters — all Ohio native wetland plants, provided by Jason Mckenney, Ohio Native Habitat Nursery.
My approach to each garden is to provide a different aesthetic to gardening and to demonstrate what might be done on even the smallest scale. For example: noticing a full spectrum of green color and texture when a collection of native sedges is grouped together or noticing the gentle sway of a single willow branch as it catches the slightest breeze.
Footnote:
A portion of the installation will be transported to Caesar Creek State Park, Waynesville OH. Later the plants will be removed from the planters and will be relocated at the Ohio Governor’s residency where they will
remain as part of the Heritage Garden.