Do you see me? Custom-made shelf, watering can, lavenders, calendar, Gordon Snelgrove Gallery Foyer, 2022, Courtesy of the artist |
Improvising on simple ideas and values in a modern society, I wanted to examine the attentiveness of people around me and determine if they are desperate to feel belonged. On the other hand, I had to be mindful of what I am adding to the university’s space. I decided to experiment domestically and install the piece in the Snelgrove gallery foyer. I always wondered how the university community observes their surroundings and pays attention to details. With the help and permission of one of our professors, I made a wooden shelf that fit perfectly within the windows of the foyer, constructing it as if it was there originally.
The idea was simple: a pot of lavenders, a watering can, and a custom-made calendar of the year accompanied with some fine tip markers. There was a small poster on top of the setting. The lavender was asking if anyone can spot another living creature besides human beings, if so, it was asking to receive the care it needs. The instructions were succinct and clear. After watering the plant, you needed to check the date on the calendar to let the next person know about the pattern of watering. I also included a link to my website, with some general information about lavenders and provided them with a message box for the plant. I thought the QR code would make the whole piece digital-friendly for younger generations. The message box would enable them to write a note for the plant if they were not able to water it that day.
During its display, only two people had written a note for the plant through the message box. The plant was barely surviving, but the calendar had turned into a daily journal, filled with notes, support phrases and suggested names for the plant. The plant was loved by so many people, and in fact was dying, too much love was killing it. So, ironically, I had to put up a sign, asking for a more controlled “care system”. The lavenders were overwatered, and I was pretty sure they can’t be saved. Still, I decided to let them remain on the same spot till the end of that year. The calendar got filled, people trimmed the plant, brought nutrients and soils to add to it, even fertilizers, activating a group effort to save the plant from the unfortunate fate. The lavender did not survive, but the shelf now hosts other plants. For specific reasons, I didn’t want to replace the lavender.
The idea was simple: a pot of lavenders, a watering can, and a custom-made calendar of the year accompanied with some fine tip markers. There was a small poster on top of the setting. The lavender was asking if anyone can spot another living creature besides human beings, if so, it was asking to receive the care it needs. The instructions were succinct and clear. After watering the plant, you needed to check the date on the calendar to let the next person know about the pattern of watering. I also included a link to my website, with some general information about lavenders and provided them with a message box for the plant. I thought the QR code would make the whole piece digital-friendly for younger generations. The message box would enable them to write a note for the plant if they were not able to water it that day.
During its display, only two people had written a note for the plant through the message box. The plant was barely surviving, but the calendar had turned into a daily journal, filled with notes, support phrases and suggested names for the plant. The plant was loved by so many people, and in fact was dying, too much love was killing it. So, ironically, I had to put up a sign, asking for a more controlled “care system”. The lavenders were overwatered, and I was pretty sure they can’t be saved. Still, I decided to let them remain on the same spot till the end of that year. The calendar got filled, people trimmed the plant, brought nutrients and soils to add to it, even fertilizers, activating a group effort to save the plant from the unfortunate fate. The lavender did not survive, but the shelf now hosts other plants. For specific reasons, I didn’t want to replace the lavender.
