urban gardening

i'm going back in time! slowly trying to transfer posts that represent my artistic practice, interests and experiences from my old simple joy blog unto this one. this particular post is about visiting a nursery called gethsemane in andersonville (chicago) on a sunday afternoon, an experience that has sparked my love for plants and urban gardening.

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20120701

my roommate claire and i went to a plant nursery called gethsemane in andersonville because i wanted to grow some indoor plants for our new place.  the nursery was huge- green plants and flowers of all shapes and sizes greeted us as we entered.  i would love to grow a garden in the future, but for now, i was looking for plants that would be windowsill-friendly in our cozy apartment.  we thought growing herbs would be fun and easy as claire and i love to cook and get crafty with drinks. i came across a variety of mint plants- chocolate mint, berry mint, mojito mint, and so on.  they smelled so fresh! the berry mint stood out the most; it would add a nice touch to a cold lemonade or tea during the summer.  clueless about raising anything, we kept asking one of the employees questions and for some advice.  i learned that the plants here are organic and mint can grow like crazy; therefore, i should contain it in a smaller pot.  it's perfect for the indoors, and i just have to make sure it gets plenty of sunlight and water.  claire didn't seem that interested in growing something before we got there, but the lavender one stood out to her so she also grabbed it and we walked over to the next greenhouse.

as we roamed around, a rich, yellowish green furry-looking fellow caught my attention. it was golden sedum, a perennial plant. it tends to grow and bloom over the spring and summer, and die back every autumn and winter, and then re-grows the following spring from the same root system.  i learned that golden sedum persists in dry and hot sites and requires little care, perfect for a first time plant owner like me. all it needs is a plenty of sunshine, good drainage and some love.  it should be watered once every week, allowing the soil to dry before watering again and it should be done so during warm, dry periods.

the people at the nursery were friendly and informative.  they answered all our curiosities and informed us about free workshops and events, which i would love to attend one day.  taking care of my little green companions has made me happier as i woke up today with excitement and anticipation.  it is a responsibility, maybe not a huge one, but i think it's a reminder for me to be joyful and thankful for the little things in life.  having this connection with nature, however big or small, is my source of simple joy.

berry mint!

freshly squeezed lemonade

ingredients | lemons, agave nectar, sparkling water (we used LaCroix coconut flavored water), fresh mint leaves (berry mint) and ice

cut two lemons in half and squeezed them.  then pour the sparkling water and added some agave nectar for sweetness.  put in some fresh mint leaves, stir and pour it over ice.

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iphone: art and the city

tom sachs

boombox retrospective, 1999-2015

the contemporary austin

the overall experience was fun. whimsical. playful as the artist used familiar references of everyday objects. and music! there was music.

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오랫만에 찬빈이 오빠를 만났던 날.

만나기 전에 아주 큰 일이 버려져서 걱정도 많이 하고 불안했지만

오빠가 맛있는 피자 사주고 전시회도 같이 가줘서 위로가 됐고 정말 고마웠다. 

the backspace

lamb & pork meatballs (stewed tomato, bread crumb, asiago, mint)

margherita pizza (mozzarella, tomato, basil)

and peroni

맛있었다. 또 가고 싶다. 

아기자기 한 작은 공간. 마음에 들었음.

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the blanton museum of art

Dawoud Bey (b. 1953, New York; lives and works in Chicago)
Kenosha I, 1996

dawoud bey 사진 작가님을 내가 art institute of chicago에서 인턴할때 만난적이 있다.

우리 teen intern들과 함께 같이 앉아서 많은 이야기를 나눴는데 내용들은 기억이 잘 나지 않는다.  3년이 지나고 오랫만에 우리 동네 학교 미술관에서 작가님 작품을 다시 마주치니깐 나도 모르게 엄청 방가움.  

"I began to want a more sustained contact with the people I was photographing. I also wanted the process to be more reciprocal, and create dialogue that allowed the subject to both confirm my intentions and gain possession of the image I was making of them."

dawoud bey, blanton museum blog

tavares strachan, panchen lama from the constellation series, 2011

"i have always been fascinated by invisibility..."

"...taking forgotten and excluded people and histories as his principle subjects, [strachan's] art often uses light as a means to render these invisible histories visible."

저기 보이는 아이가 사라졌다. 작가는 이 사건을 더 알기 위해서 아이가 납치 당했던 도시로 찾아갔다.  가는 길에 여러가지 artifact들을 collect해서 만든 결과가 이 작품. 사라진 아이의 얼굴을 다시 보이게 했다.  그리고 라이트 박스를 통해 다시 그의 모습과 memory를 빛나게 했다.

kehinde wiley, le roi a la chasse [the king at the hunt], 2006

언제 이 작품을 다시 볼수 있을까?

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i went to go see taryn simon's the innocents exhibition, a collection of photographs and stories of individuals who served time in prison for the crimes they didn't commit in chicago. four years later, i came across her book called an american index of the hidden and unfamiliar at farewell books in east austin and read briefly about girl scouts beyond bars, a program that arranges formal visits between scouts and their incarcerated mothers. like the title of the book, it was unfamiliar to me, yet interesting and heartbreaking all at the same time.

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"...너의 모습은 네 자신의 것이다.

누군가는 항상 너를 사랑할 것이다.

너는 절대 혼자가 아닐 것이다. 거울을 보라.

거울 속 그 사람이 너를 보고 있다."

-살의 선택, 로스-