作者：Jonah Grinkewitz
A new art exhibition at bet8体育娱乐入口 invites Hampton Roads residents to 分享 their experiences with the region’s waterways and its changing environment through audio recordings, 图像和文字.
“声音：变化景观的声音地图”,” an immersive art installation consisting of a 20-foot shipping container with a green roof made up of native plants, will be on display outside the 巴里艺术博物馆 on ODU’s campus through Oct. 20时 博物馆小时. The exhibition made its debut this past weekend at the University’s 第四届年度公共艺术节.
The socially engaged art project was created by ODU Associate Professor of Art Brendan Baylor and his collaborator, 凯利摩尔斯, a landscape designer and former ODU literature instructor who runs 70|30 Design Studio. The installation is also a culmination of ODU’s previous Annual Campus Theme “蓝连接.”
The container itself was donated by CHS Container Group where ODU alum Edward “Ed” Shea works. 卡罗尔运输集团, 校友安德鲁·史密斯在那里工作, donated their time and resources to move the container. 两者都是ODU的成员 螺旋桨俱乐部, a nonprofit professional organization that supports the national maritime community and promotes waterborne commerce.
Plants for the roof were provided by Southern Branch Nursery and Lady Fern’s Native Plants, 当地女性拥有的公司.
The installation draws upon the specialties of both collaborators. The inside of the container features prints made by Baylor, 谁在大学里教版画, and audio recordings of interviews and natural sound played through speakers. On top of the structure Morse designed and installed a working “green roof” composed of a waterproof membrane, 排水层, 原产于弗吉尼亚州东南部的土壤和植物.
贝勒捕获了最初的录音, but the goal is to have Hampton Roads residents contribute directly to the exhibition with their own stories and memories of how the landscape they live in has changed over their lifetime. People who wish to participate can upload their images, writings or audio files to the art project’s 网站 并在电子地图上标出他们的位置.
“We’re really interested in thinking about the way the land is changing not just from a big picture perspective or from an expert perspective but also from everyday people,贝勒说. “That’s the kind of experience we don’t typically include when we’re thinking about policy and climate change.”
Morse’s green roof serves as an example of how to add habitat to urban areas. 她工作室的名字——70|30——灵感来自于 研究 that suggests songbirds thrive in areas where at least 70% of the plants are native.
“My design philosophy centers on creative ways to add nature to human-centered spaces,莫尔斯说.
很多你.S. and international cities now have policies for building green roofs onto any new commercial structures, 莫尔斯说. 芝加哥, 多伦多, 巴尔的摩, 和波特兰, Oregon are just a few North American cities that offer grants to homeowners to retrofit green roofs onto their properties.
“Green roofs can absorb up to 75% of water that falls on them in a year. Imagine how much flooding would be reduced if this solution is systematically added to our region,莫尔斯说. “而不是让雨水成为一个问题, it could benefit pollinators and birds by sustaining what’s called ‘steppingstone habitats’ through cities.”
Baylor said much of his and Morse’s art – including this project – was inspired by the indigenous botanist and author Robin Wall Kimmerer whose work combines Western scientific thought and Native American cultural practices.
“The main inspiration for the work is reciprocity and building a culture of reciprocity where our relationships with each other and with the landscape are more about mutual support and thriving rather than an extractive, 事务关系,他说.
“This project succeeded because of the relationships we’ve developed in the Hampton Roads community,莫尔斯补充道.
在ODU运行之后, Baylor said he hopes the installation will travel to other cultural institutions to be displayed – a feat made easier by it being a shipping container. And since the digital map is global, people anywhere can upload to the project. Long term, the installation will reside in Baylor and Morse’s backyard as an art studio.
To learn more about Baylor and his artwork, you can visit his 网站.