— Since 2024
The garden explores the intricate relationship between climate change and nature, particularly as it manifests in the context of wildfires. Humans’ relentless pursuit of capital accumulation, resistance to controlled burns, and the Earth’s rising temperatures and altered precipitation patterns have left forests more susceptible to devastating wildfires. Growing After Fire explores this intersection through a didactic and experiential intervention.
Project Credit: Celina Abba, Christian Gay, Elliot LaGuardia, Oliver Shi
Growing After Fire is both haunting and hopeful, it juxtaposes destruction and rebirth. At the edge of the clearing, a cluster of charred trees stands as silent witnesses to the Anthropocene. They signal the aftermath of a fire; in the distance, the sight of vibrant green vegetation offers a ray of optimism. Visitors walk through the dense field of fire-blackened trees winding their way to the garden’s core.
Sporadic signs of new growth gradually emerge, slowly pushing through the scorched earth and reclaiming the land. Once at the center, visitors are encouraged to pause and contemplate around the growing sculpture. The sculpture, modules of charred trunks and green vegetation, is a medium for new life, a powerful symbol of nature’s resilience.