UNDER THE FREEWAY: THE GRASSLANDS PROJECTS |
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KATHRYN MILLER MICHAEL CATHCART |
UNDER THE FREEWAY: THE GRASSLANDS PROJECT WAS A COLLABORATIVE PROJECT WITH AUSTRALIAN WRITER AND HISTORIAN MICHAEL CATHCART FOR A SITE IN DOWNTOWN MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA. MY PART OF THE PROJECT FOCUSED ON INTRODUCING NATIVE GRASSES BACK INTO AN URBAN AREA AND TO TRANSFORM A NEGLECTED TRASH-RIDDEN POCKET OF CITY LAND INTO A MORE AESTHETIC AND SUSTAINABLE PLACE. MICHAEL CATHCART FOCUSED ON RESEARCHING THE HISTORY OF THE AREA AND TO HELP DEFINE ITS FUTURE . HIS WORK WAS PUBLISHED IN A BOOK TITLED GRASSLANDS: AN ENVIRONMENTAL ART PROJECT/UNDER THE FREEWAY. I CHOSE TO PLANT NATIVE GRASSES BECAUSE OVER-GRAZING AND THE INTRODUCTION OF NON-NATIVE SPECIES HAVE DESTROYED 99.5% OF THE NATIVE GRASSES IN VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA. THE SITE WAS ALSO TO FUNCTION AS A SEED BANK FOR FUTURE URBAN RESTORATION PROJECTS AND COULD BE VIEWED AESTHETICALLY BY PEOPLE DRIVING BY AT 60 MPH. |
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MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA 1995-1998 | ||||||
EARLY EUROPEAN SETTLERS NOTED THAT THIS AREA ABOUNDED WITH WILDLIFE AND NATIVE GRASSES. |
RESIDENTS OF THE SITE CIRCA 1940 BEFORE THE FREEWAY WAS BUILT. |
CONSTRUCTION OF THE WESTGATE FREEWAY BEGAN IN 1983. |
SITE PREPARATION AND RESTORATION IN 1995. |
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ENVIRONMENTAL ART PROJECTS |