Planar Landscape Phenomena by Griffin Enright Architects

The ubiquitous lawn was the subject of this heuristic exercise on our cultural relationship to that thin plane of suburban carpet. The installation included the suspension of over 1,000 square feet of grass sod in an exhibition space exploring its tectonic nature by emphasizing its tissue-like thinness, flexibility and texture, while commenting on its negative impacts on our larger environment.

The decision to work with sod examined the relationship between the organic (living) and the manufactured (processed). This ubiquitous material furthered an understanding of the material as a manufactured product in its shaved thin plates that are grown, cut into standardized modules, and delivered to their respective destinations. Yet it also is an organic, changing, living organism, one which also has serious environmental implications. Statistical information printed on the walls critiqued the pervasive use of grass in our desert environment.