Garden Novella

Beacon Park, Detroit. (2019)
Mexicantown, Detroit. (2021)

video link
Project Article on Medium

A traveling garden of stories, plants, and lights. The stories are audio recordings from 15 residents and business owners from Southwest Detroit. As you approach the installation, motion sensors activate the lights and speakers, producing a soundscape choreography that introduces you to the community. Suspended plants evoke the sense of uprootedness and transplanted - and just as many immigrants in Southwest have had to plant new roots in a new ecology where they help one another thrive. Mirrors clad the underside of the canopy, reflecting the image of yourself as you hear someone else’s story, someone whose story may be much different than yours, as a reminder that even in our differences we are united.