Site Selection: Lot 6 1303 and Lot 5 1300-06 Montgomery Street
Concept & Team Summary:
Type(scapes) proposes to clean the soil in lots 5 and 6 by using simple bioremediation techniques. Growing specific plants in contaminated soil to remove toxicity is a known experimental low-cost remediation method. By planting two species, words generated through community dialog will inform the design and be spelled out and visible. The combination of bioremediation with human expression could be applied on a larger scale for the City of St. Louis. This project will release the City from mowing obligations, make a statement of belief of a healthier St. Louis and eventually create safer spaces for community use.
Word generation about dreams and visions will take place in community letterpress poster making workshops. Drawing and silkscreen workshops will invite people to watch and respond to the evolution of the site. Soils will be tested frequently, results shared, and systems devised to create a toolkit so that people can plant and clean the soil at other locations.
Multi-disciplinary artists Jana Harper and Laurencia Strauss are the team leaders working in consultation with Juan Chavez and Keirsten Torrez of the Northside Workshop and Scott Mangan, Assistant Professor of Biology at Washington University in St. Louis, specializing in plant and soil interactions.