Hothouse: The Orchid Room, 1992
On a trellis incorporated into the elaborate plaster ceiling detail and skylight of the gallery, I grew epiphytic orchids which were visually accessible to viewers only through a live video image. Below, a refrigerator contained orchid scent. A bed of mineral wool beneath the trellis echoed the material the orchids were growing on, a by-product of the steel industry. Texts on the wall included a permit for importing orchids, an MSGS for the mineral wool, and the floor plan of Phipps conservatory, located adjacent to the University — also a "by-product" of the steel industry. Orchids, mineral wool, spanish moss, bricks, wood, video camera and monitor, refrigerator, orchid scent ; installation, Hewlett Gallery, Carnegie Mellon University.