Artist Survival Station.
2020. Living sculpture (5’ x 3’ x 6’) and durational performance.
Shelving unit, home-made water distiller (copper, metal pot, hot plate, glass jars), plastic containers, hydroponic propagation trays, plastic tubing, metal grill; nutrient mix, Ph meter, Ph Up, Ph Down, scissors, 1 gallon hand-held sprayer, retractable metal arm, air pump, water pumps, fluorescent grow lights, LED grow light, fans, cable, micro-controller, timer, hemp, microgreens (corn, broccoli, wheatgrass, boy choy, chia, purple kohlrabi, beet, red chard, fennel, arugula, daikon radish, speckled peas), 8 episode YouTube series. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUdVId4JF4lVOCFYPKqT4Cw
Adam Basanta
Artist Survival Station
Artist Survival Station is a sculptural and process-based work that is made up of a shelving unit, on which a variety of microgreens are grown for food consumption. The artist has produced a series of vlogs sharing his creative process, which can be viewed on his virtual studio. The style of these vlogs is a nod to the gardening tutorials found on YouTube, which were a source of inspiration for the artist in the design of his sculpture. As another point of reference, Basanta consulted a variety of videos relating to survivalism and self-sufficiency. Gardening, both a creative leisure activity and a precarious but necessary work for survival, thus becomes a suitable metaphor for artistic activity in itself. Relating to sculpture as well as conceptual art, the work weaves together two ways of circulating: in the physical world, where the artist tends to his sculpture and delivers what he harvests to his artist friends, and in the digital world, where the public can follow the creative process.