This solar-powered hanging hydroponic sculpture garden by Ken Rinaldo and Amy Youngs is a place to grow herbs for cooking, with all the added benefits of water flowing and trickling sounds possible from an indoor waterfall. This work was created at a Pilchuck during a residency in Stanwood Oregon invited by director Ruth King.
The plants receive their nutrients in moving aquaculture and this allows them to grow in a healthy fashion.
The work was conceived in our discussions surrounding creating indoor sustainable gardens and alternatives to having large-scale petrol farms, which involve trucking and petrodollars to get the vegetables to our tables.
The containers are designed to allow light to travel through them while allowing observation of the complex root structures.
While we are pleased with the design we also realize that long-term maintenance would allow algae growth which may or may not be aesthetic for some.
A component to every work in glass is a team often of super-skilled artisans. In this case, how could any two artists be so lucky as to have Joey Cariati and Michael Shiner as gaffers?
They took our 3D visualizations…
and ideas and changed them into the hot/cold glass.
CREDITS
Hydroponic herb garden by Ken Rinaldo and Amy Youngs
Gaffers: Joey Cariati, Michael Shiner
Assistants: Simon Maberley and Kami Meighan
A very special thank you to Ruth King for the invitation to be visiting artists at the Pilchuck Glass School and to all the amazing staff who allowed us to have the most productive (and fun) 2.5 weeks ever.
EXHIBITIONS
PILCHUCK GLASS AUCTION WESTIN ST FRANCIS, Seattle Washington, October 26, 2007
The Twittering Rabbit foot 2004 sound sculpture in glass.
PILCHUCK ARTISTS IN RESIDENCY EXHIBITION, Seattle, Washington. Aug 16- Sep. 2, 2005, Working on new glassworks utilizing biological and electronic materials. Hydroponic Herb Garden open studio. Invited., The Twittering Rabbit Foot. Curator Ruth King.