Orange Unveiling

Emilie Ledieu translating details to French visitors

We had a good turn out at the unveiling. Philadelphia art fixture Donald Carter was there to validate the event. Alex Stolypine brought his family and other Parisian artists, who were in town representing the Paris Embassy and working on the latest Mural Arts Program project in Kensington. People were playing with the orange monochrome and spinning it.

I want to thank Hyperion again and everyone who worked on the project. It was rewarding to be standing up there presenting the piece as it hung in the space I had vaguely imagined months ago. I'm looking forward to the next project, green. I've just gotten word from Buchanan PR, the public relations firm I'm working with, that Benjamin Rush Arts Academy is interested in collaborating with us and incorporating the educational components of this project into their curriculum.

Moss

I spoke with botanist Russell Juelg from the Pinelands Preservation Alliance. I said I was interested in making this piece alive but that I had concerns about maintenance. I didn't want it to die. I didn't want the bank to have to take care of this thing all the time. I just wanted it to be like having a plant, or even easier than that.

He suggested I use moss. It grows easily. It has no root system and can grow on a variety of porous surfaces. It just needs a little water now and then. And it lives for ever. He said a friend of his in upstate New York was making terrariums to grow moss, creating miniature landscapes. His terrariums were dome shaped and made out of glass. But as long the terrarium is enclosed, Juelg said, it can be any shape. It can also be tinted (i.e. repurposed green wine bottles).

We are entertaining approaching Woodhaven schools and incorporating this project into their curriculum as a workshop or a series of lessons. Students would help make the monochrome while learning about green practices and the green values this piece demonstrates.