Client: Collaborative Concepts

Overview

“HOTHOUSE” is an outdoor installation of flowers formed and stitched from single-use plastic and placed inside of a plastic greenhouse. The greenhouse walls are constructed from stitched single use plastic as well. The whimsical flowers are created from various single use packaging. Each flower is handcrafted by the artist and crowd sourced from dedicated recyclers and artivists (art activists) wanting a better future for their planet.
At first glance the installation looks like a fun, brightly colored explosion of exotic flora, protected from the elements by the greenhouse. As the viewer walks in for a closer look, they realize the material that the art is created from is the exact material contributing to the pollution of our planet. These plastic flowers will live for decades in the landfill, while the blossom on a real rose will only last a week. The purpose of the installation is to raise public awareness about single use plastic and to address the general materialism/consumerism that is contributing to the world’s environmental issues.

“HOTHOUSE” will be created specifically for the Collaborative Concepts Tilly Foster Farm Show. Approximately 77”H x 57”W x 56”D

Goals

The goal was to create an installation which delights with whimsy and beauty, and also educates about the worldwide problem of plastic pollution.

Process

I utilized the power of community to create the “HOTHOUSE” installation and put out a call to my newsletter list and on social media asking the community to become artivists and contribute some petals or flowers to the project. They were asked to look around their home for single-use plastic that is so ubiquitous that it inadvertently enters everyone's homes, and to create a bit of beauty from trash.
The response has been overwhelming! more than 60 artivists have contributed hundreds of petals and dozens of flowers to date. I was barely able to keep up with wiring the flowers and attaching them to branches, or with creating flowers from all the petals. One generous quilter has volunteered to create the greenhouse walls on her long-arm sewing machine as per my specifications.