For this project I was interested in exploring how to use the transparency of acrylic to make a vessel to hold dye and roots of plants. My practice uses natural dyes from plants and this semester I experimented with creating a dye from the fertilizer coating of Pennington Sun and Shade Grass Seeds. I used this dye in my pieces for this project.
I have just begun learning about soil dynamics and the images on this project are all different forms of life that are found in soil: microbes, nematodes, fungi. The circle form was chosen to be a petri dish. There is some evidence that fertilizers negatively impact the biome of soil so this dye is in conflict with the images that surround it. I also chose to install this in grass to emphasize this link.
For my first successful prototype I was able to get a watertight seal with a combination of acrylic weld and clear caulk. I cut two identical pieces of acrylic and then sandwiched a similarly shaped piece of just the outline to create a negative space to fill with dye. I also cut shapes that one can see through to create visual interest. I experimented with some other forms but this one was the most successful.
My final project used 1/16” clear acrylic that was foraged from around school, acrylic weld, clear silicone caulk and dye made from grass seed. Final documentation also has wood and clamps that were needed to keep a water tight seal for documentation. The final piece was not able to stay watertight, but I am excited about future iterations of this piece. I will also be working on fabricating a maze for an undergraduate project on turtle socialization which will use some of the principles that I’ve learned through this project.
