GYOW
Grow Your Own Weed, Seedlings, Compost, Found Coffee Cups. Action as Street Art, Interventions for Gentrify This, Dublin Contemptibles. Dublin, Ireland. 2012.
“A weed is but a plant in the wrong place. Weeds are a human invention, not nature’s.” – Neil Smart
For Dublin Contemptibles, several potted wildflower seedlings were placed in various locations around the Markets Quarter, Dublin City for members of the public to find. The pots were clearly labelled with instructions on what to do with the young plant. Members of the public were invited to take the wildflower to a new home and encourage it to grow.
By performing this action, the public is no longer a passive viewer of an artwork, but an active participant becoming a decision maker in determining the fate of the work and the living organism. The aim of this action is to create an aesthetic and functional appreciation of native urban flora, and to allow the finders of these objects to experience the act of caring and growing.