Installations
Greenhouse Ghosts
red cedar - 7 elements, heights 2" to 60"
Wellesley College Botanical Gardens, Wellesley, MA
In Greenhouse Ghosts, a series of animals have taken up residence in the Wellesley College Botanical Gardens. Each life-sized silhouette represents an endangered animal species that is dependent upon a plant species currently growing in the greenhouses.
The stark white figures stand in contrast to the lush abundance of their surroundings, drawing attention to their own potential absence. They introduce a note of urgency within the peaceful greenhouse setting, and yet the story they reveal is ultimately an optimistic one: these species are not yet lost, and can be saved with careful intervention.
Greenhouses have traditionally been centers for botanical research, concentrating on the study and classification of individual species. Our modern understanding of plants takes an expanded view, viewing nature as a dynamic system of relationships and interdependencies. These ghosts help us reconsider the plants’ roles — as well as the greenhouse’s role — in a larger ecologic context.