Double Arch
For close to twenty years I lived in the Brentwood neighborhood of Austin, Tx. An area that was once a series of tiny mid century homes built in the 30s had morphed into a lively community of artists, muscians, film makers and their families. Plants and trees and migrating hawks and pollinators are everywhere in this patch of Austin. Brentwood park had been a very large lawn with not a tree in site but through the dedication of many volunteers the park had been transformed with a walking path and many native trees and perenniels. In 2017 I worked with the city of Austin, the neighborhood community, and the parks division to design and install a temporary sculpture and pollinator garden on site. I chose a spot framed by 3 buckeyes.
Everyday I brought water to my popup garden in gallon jugs, my toddler often with me, and every day I met someone new walking their dog, or passing through the park with their kids to the sycamore trees. A vibrant new waypoint, the community took time to seek it out. Families dropping kids off at the nearby school could see it from their cars, a static zoetrope as they drove by.
Through the duration of the install the garden grew. Esperanza, Desert Rose, Mistflower all bloomed. The community noticed the different butterflies and discussed how the sculpture framed different parts of the garden as they walked around it.
