Places: Belk Greenhouse
The objective of this project was to go to an assigned location, experience the place and document it. My experience at Belk Greenhouse is what inspired my mini Greenhouse model.
The details I added to the outside of the model are a big part of my experience visiting the Greenhouse and subsequently the first notable experience when encountering the replica. The washed-out windows hide the plants inside from being burned by the sun as well as hide the beauty of the plants from the viewers outside. I recreated this through the use of spraying “snow frost” on glass panels and wiping away sections to depict the same effect as that in the windows. The stone texture added to the model is also a significant aspect of not only experiencing the outside of Belk Greenhouse but also the surrounding buildings when you are at that location.
In order for the user to fully interact with the piece, the hinged roof opens to reveal the plant models inside. Each plant is a stage of life of the Corpse Flower. This is a rare flower that is the Botany department’s proudest and most popular plant possession at Miami University. One problem I had to solve was finding a material to act as dirt inside the greenhouse because real dirt or mulch would be too big to fit the scale of the plants. The solution I came up with was to use coffee grounds to mimic the appearance of dirt.
As the viewer can read on the plant tag, each plant has hidden information that describes the history of the greenhouse, the current uses and a detailed description of my experience being there, respectively. As the user lifts each plant out of its hole, the information is revealed. In addition to that, on the bottom of each pedestal I included facts about the corpse flower in order for the user to be able to visually connect the plants to more information provided about Belk Greenhouse, here at
Miami University.
Progress pictures to further demonstrate my process:
This is a poster board to organize my experience at the Greenhouse. The mood board on the right is representative of aspects that I wanted to include in my piece.
Starting with a prototype, I designed a model in which I am able to incorporate my visual experience as well as tell the story of the greenhouse. The following images are to show the construction of the piece in action.
