sustainability – art, design and social practice

I can’t figure out how to upload my images. I’ve been trying for 3days and it’d driving me up the wall.So this is my text… can somone tell me how to upload these things? it just says crunching, or does nothing and I’ve already made my images super small….

Initially, I was interested in how biological life re-inhabits and reclaims man made structures. I began by investigating weeds, mosses and other small rooted plants and how these grow between the cracks of pavements and walls- eventually carpeting the nooks of our build landscape. I wanted to create a relationship with a wall and the process it takes to construct a space.

I began to explore the labor it takes to create small structures with “invaders” or biological life in mind. I researched moss paint, and how moss is applied to objects in decorative DIY projects. At this point I realized my project was slowly moving out of the realm of precious art objects and into a temporal relationship between construction and environment. I wanted to explore how man-made structures can be both functional and invested in the wellbeing of the life that reclaims it.

On web forums and DIY blog spaces, hobbyists and homemakers discussed a cement based materials which can be molded both indoors and outdoors to grow plants on. I began researching a material which was frequently referred to as “turfa” or “hyperturfa”.

Hyperturfa BRICKS

Ingredients:

1 part Vermiculite

1 part Peat Moss

1+ part Cement (sand topping)

3 cups Buttermilk

Water (as needed)

Method:

Coat mold in mold release agent. Mix vermiculite, peat moss, and cement in a container until even and blended together. Add the buttermilk and mix. Add water as needed to bring to the mixture to a thick pasty consistency without over watering. Poor into a mold and allow to dry for 3-5 days.

De-mold and rotate often while curing.

During my first presentation on this project Dan suggested “impregnating” the bricks with buttermilk. I had presented on “moss paint” and how this can be made with buttermilk and then sprayed with water, vinegar and honey to stimulate the moss growth. The suggestion of substituting buttermilk instead of water in the cement mix was the key moment which motivated me to continue the project. Before the hyperturfa mix reeked like kitty litter, yet somehow adding buttermilk (3/4 cups plain yogurt to ¼ cups whole milk) eliminated the smell.

In total I attempted 5 different molds. I attempted to vacuum- form a brick which I had shaved down to mold released. Vacuum- form molds are quick to make and inexpensive. However the vacuum- former at MICA was not as large as what I have worked with in the past and the plastic used is too ridged to remold a deep object. I had to abandon this mold.

After this I set up 4 bricks with a space between them the length and width of a brick and caste my first hyperturfa brick. This method was quick and simple; I worked on the ground covered with a garbage bag. However, a full sized brick took about 3 cups of each part of the mix recipe plus about 5 days to dry.

I abandoned this idea and decided to make my own mold. Using found wood I made a highly complex mold with 2 voids. It was really blocky and deep. Here I learned the hyperturfa does not respond to most standard mold releases and I broke the brick during de-molding. As I started understanding the hyperturfa I began negotiating the shape and depth of the brick. I attempted a long thing brick but the edges of the voids were too thin and again were complicated to de-mold. Eventually I settled on a simple mold, with two L shaped wood squares locking together to make a 4” x 4” x 4” brick. I made small “male” tapered rectangles with were the voids at the top and bottom of the brick during casting.

In total I made 13 blocks which took about 2 weeks to fully cure. These were coated with the “moss paint”.

During the 2^nd week of October I had visited a few nurseries and they suggested ferns with shallow roots, Irish and Scottish moss or shady conditions grass seed. I settled on the ferns and mosses, which become greened the less sunlight they receive. I lived with these mosses indoors, watering them often, noting how they responded to the environment I lived in. When the bricks were cured and stacked I transplanted some of the mosses and ferns to the void. I then made the 15” high wall into a coffee table by adding a wooden board at the top with a side the height of the brick wall.

MOSS PAINT

Ingredients:

Clump of moss (with dirt removed)

I cup buttermilk

or 1 can beer + 2tsp sugar

or 1 cup plain yogurt

Method:

Add 1 part moss to 4 parts liquid in a blender. Blend or mash to mix the moss into a soupy consistency. With a brush, spread mixture over surface or object.

Can take up to 2 months to begin growing on the object.

Accelerants and care:

Add a ½ tsp white vinegar and ½ tsp honey to water. Mist moss often to maintain dampness.

The brick wall needs to be on a plastic base to stop moisture from ruining the floor. This is a bit aesthetically displeasing and as I continue this project I would like to explore a more aesthetic aspect to this functionality. Additionally, the wall has to be misted twice a day, so it is a bit labor intensive during the dry winter air. Nonetheless, I really enjoy having a bit of life in my house which is functional. The hyerturfa itself is said to last about 5 years outdoors in the elements before it fully disintegrates. I am attracted to the idea of temporary functionality, which can return to the earth once you I am done with the coffee table, or move house.

http://thosebefightinwords.blogspot.com/2008/12/architectural-studies-hurricane-house.html

http://thosebefightinwords.blogspot.com/2008/12/climate-change-and-sustainability.html

Links to images at my blog (edublogs doesn’t like large images)

The Project: The project began when I noticed a substantial accumulation of bottles and other waste around my apartment and studio. My goal was to find a use for my previously accumulated trash as well as begin a system that helps regulate the amount of waste I produce as a whole.

In order to find a purpose for my waste I created a miniature landfill. By cutting the tops of my glass bottles, I was able to put my collected trash into the bottles, on top of which I plant grass seeds. This process forces me to slow down and acknowledge everything that I consume. Not only am I forced to slow down and see what I consume, I am tied to the process of nature. This project’s fundamental purpose is to reestablish the way I relate to my outside world. My project was to cut down the amount of useless waste I produce while simultaneously finding a purpose for the actual waste I produce.

Process: In order to begin the process I had to purchase three things, a bottle cutter, soil, and grass seed. These were all fairly cheap and will last for quite a while. The bottle I collected over the past semester from both my apartment and friend’s apartments. Once I had my materials I began a few test bottles. A few of the bottles grew with great successes, others never grew at all. Many of the larger bottles failed to grow and I had to replant them. After I established my system and enough bottle were collected I planted about fifty small bottles, each hand cut, filled with trash, and planted. Unfortunately, the majority of the grass has yet to begin growing because of limited light during the day. Additionally, I have begun a compost pile for my food waste, and will hopefully be producing my own dirt in the near future. This will cut down on my consumption as well as feed back into the project.

Future Proposal: My proposal for the future is to continue this process and create an installation. Within the next year I hope to have enough bottles to fill a small gallery space. Ideally, the space is a small square layout. The floor of the gallery space will be completely filled grass bottles. This will force the viewer to relate to the room itself as an object rather than just the objects.

here’s a link to Alex’s project,its an audio tour for supermarket shoppers

http://www.besupermarketsavvy.com/

ugh, Im sorry this is so late, I don’t have internet so I forgot about it and I am having picture trouble, I will post links to pictures next

so, I made people a bunch of gift bags in the spirit giving, and probably because I have been thinking about Christmas for the past two months. Now that it’s so close, Im not that excited, I was more excited about claymation movies and eggnog. ANYWAYS, I made gift bags, and they were filled with things that I hoped you all would use and then make for yourselves. They included Bread, seed starters, and laundry detergent, and then a little sheet of all the recipes I used.

These past three months or so I’ve been researching things I can make myself and the results were so suprising! I found it mind boggling our dissconnect from what we buy and what we know about what we buy. People have been talking about animal cruelty, chemicals, consumption, etc etc on end in this class, and this fits right in. The gift bags were my first try, I figured, even if the things I use to make these objects aren’t 100% enviromentally friendly, at least all of these things can be re-used, and not recycled REUSED……even the bread because you digest it, it’s the most natural… But the bread pan, glass jars, seed starters, bags, all included with the intention that you’d use it again. SO don’t you throw away those jars! use them as cups or something. I’ve also been researching  tiny homes. While I did not really divulge this research in class I’ve been really interested in the idea of building a space in which I live that I have complete control over, that no landlord owns, etc etc. THIS IS SO MUCH EASIER THAN I WOULD HAVE IMAGINED!!

insane, I’ve also been researching communities, and the ideal situation in which these small (>900sq ft) homes would be grouped together and the space would be divided into private/public/community gardens/ and what we can do to combat, or re-image suburban sprawl. woosh…

My mom now lives in a generic split level in 70s suburbs, and pretty soon my brother will be moving out and going to college. She’s debated what to do when that happens, on her list of things that prevent her from staying in her house: Very old parents whos’ health is on the decline, Mounting payments, mortgage, college, insurance, etc etc, and the house it too big for one person! She’s played with the idea of moving back home, She’s the youngest of 6 and the only single one, and she’s willing to devote her time to allowing her parents to stay in the home they love so much while she gives them extra care, and a watchful eye, But moving in with your parents when you are 52 is tough, we’re trying to find a way in which she can be helpful and independent, and this includes converting an old shed into a home. Anyways, that is a fun project I am hoping to help with this summer and am hoping to impart some of my sustainable ideas generated from this class to my mother, off that tangent here are the recipes….

I’ll add pics soon

Vegan Banana Pumpkin Bread
I can’t help but be wary about vegan recipes, but this one turned out fluffy and full of taste and moist, and just good! I had the six year old I babysit over at my house while I was finishing a batch up and she ate over half of one of the mini loafs I made to hand out to the class.

what you’ll need:
1 can (14 oz) Pumpkin puree (you can easily make your own)
1/2 cup of applesauce – ditto on the applesauce
2 smashed bananas (these compensate for three eggs in a non-vegan recipe, but also make it taste extra good)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
3 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat the oven to 350* and grease you pan(s)

Mix in large bowl:
sugar
vegetable oil
pumpkin puree
applesauce
bananas
set aside

in smaller bowl mix:
flour
baking soda
cinnamon
nutmeg
baking powder
salt
ginger

Mix the dry ingredients in with the wet until just mixed and then spoon into pan(s)
let cook 50-55 minutes or until darkish golden brown, or when it springs back when you touch the loaf.

Laundry Detergent
I also handed out to the class some homemade laundry detergent, this recipe yields 3 gallons and cost less than a 1 gallon container of detergent. It works the same, and you use the same amount in a load of laundry as store bought detergent

what you’ll need:
Washing Soda (you can find this in the laundry section of your local grocery store, I found it in Giant, but not Safeway or Superfresh, It’s made by Arm and Hammer)
Borax (you can also find this in the laundry section, they had this in every store)
I bar soap (whatever kind will work – I used Irish Spring)
5 Gallon bucket
pot
water
cheese grater

First, grate I bar of soap with a cheese grater, while you do this, heat a pot of 4 cups of water to a near boil and slowly add the grated soap until dissolved into the water. This will leave you with some very soapy water.
Next fill a 5 gallon bucket with 3 gallons of warm water, I found it was easiest to measure with old milk cartons.
Mix the soapy mixture into the 3 gallons of water and stir
Next add 1 cup of washing soda and 1/2 cup if borax
*be careful with the borax, use gloves or a long spoon with mixing and make sure to keep chemicals away from pets or small children
Once mixed let detergent cool overnight, it should turn into a slimy/ gelatinous consistancy, so if you are going to transfer it to smaller containers I would recomend doing this before the mixture cools. The color will be a muted version of the color of your soap, and you can experiment with smells, soaps, herbs etc.

oh yeah here’s my BLOG where the recipes are also

http://recipesforrituals.blogspot.com/

please dont fail me