Buster Simpson

This installation served as a prototype for internationally known environmental artist (and Seattleite) Buster Simpson’s “Growing Vine Street” project, an ongoing collaboration with Seattle’s Belltown Neighborhood Planning Committee and Carlson Architects. In the Henry’s sculpture court Simpson developed a growing sculptural “garden” piece, a work that evolved over time, grew as the seasons progressed, and posed questions about urban green spaces and the survival of natural landscapes within the context of the urban built environment. Simpson’s pieces for the project were entirely portable: planters made of deconstructed/reconstructed plastic and steel barrels, and highway barrels and ladders sitting atop pallets of his own invention and construction. Kitchen garden herbs, vegetables, and ornamentals poked through crevices and sprouted out the tops of their containers. A tiny section of lawn completed the constructed landscape. A communal dining table in the shape of George Washington’s head invited museum visitors to gather round, drink a coffee or eat a bite, becoming an interactive part of the work.