The augmented reality (AR) installation Gardens of the Anthropocene posits a science fiction future in which native aquatic and terrestrial plants have mutated to cope with the increasing unpredictable and erratic climate swings. Beyond this actual scientific basis, however, the artwork takes artistic license to imagine a surreal, dystopian scenario in which plants are “mutating” to breach natural boundaries: from photosynthesis of visible light to feeding off of mobile devices’ electromagnetic radiation, from extracting nutrients from soil to feeding off man-made structures, and to transgressing boundaries between underwater and dry land, between reactive flora and active fauna. The plants in the installation are all derived from actual native plants in and around the site for which it is designed.

The original installation, since eradicated, was a commission from the Seattle Art Museum Olympic Sculpture Park, and the dimensions given above are the dimensions of the park. See the website for more site specific versions of the project.