Client: The Farmory

Overview

Rooted is a free standing larger than life assembly of three romaine lettuce plants. The 4 foot tall romaine lettuce heads were made out of fiberglass, epoxy resin and various coloring agents. The heads are mounted atop an inter connected nest of roots that are fabricated out of multiple diameters of steel pipe, tubing and rod. The romaine heads are internally illuminated by LED spot lights.
Rooted was created through a collaboration with the Farmory in Green Bay which is a macro-scale aquaponics facility that grows leafy greens and fish. Rooted’s design was developed bearing in mind 2 principles that are at the core of the Farmory’s mission. Aquaponics and community engagement. The roots of Rooted are all intermingled and crossing over one another much like individuals in a neighborhood. The roots, that appear to be growing right out of the earth, use their collective strength to sustain 3 beacons of light. Rooted is not only a symbol of the innovative work going on at the Farmory, it is a unifying message to the surrounding community that working together yields big fruits… or vegetables!

Goals

The goals of this project were two fold: To create a sculpture that would be an easy to recognize symbol of the Farmory that would function somewhat like a sign. Secondly to provide the community with a sculpture that reflected their desire to grow with the surrounding neighborhoods to create real community engagement.
These goals were considered throughout the entire conceptual development phase. The committee selecting the piece was made up of employees of the Farmory, local business owners and residents from the surrounding neighborhoods.

Process

There was a very active selection committee involved with the conception of this piece. The members were made up of employees of the Farmory, local business owners and residents from the surrounding neighborhoods. Over the course of 10 meetings I took notes and compiled a narrative that provided the basis for 3 conceptual development designs. Based on those three conceptual designs the selection committee’s decision to go with the roots and romaine lettuce heads which would become Rooted.

Additional Information

video here: https://fox11online.com/news/local/green-bay-farmory-unveils-new-sculpture