A material demonstration using native, invasive, and farmed plant species to examine the land they shape and their industrial processes. The language of an “invaded land” obscures our role in creating what much of local land looks like. Invasive trees (invaders), native forests (invaded), industrial forests—which are both invading and now being invaded—, and urban growth that is constantly encroached: each of these plant types and locations for growth are layers of intention, adaptation, and resilience. Artist and designer Frank Dallas will lead participants in a material demonstration that examines how native, invasive, and farmed plant species shape the land they inhabit, their ties to industrial processes, and our evolving relationship to them. Natural materials will be explored through the parallels between the materials we grow and build with and how and where they grow. Participants will have the opportunity to interact with various materials while discussing their role in ecosystems, their material strengths and weaknesses, and how their use as commodities influence the land.
New York City, NY; NYC