Saturday, 9 May 2009
Well, as you can see from the slideshow below, the event really went very well indeed. Around 60 people came and planted my Metgro newspapers, most thinking that it was such a kooky idea that it would just be a 'fad' and that the Metgros would never produce any flowers as I had assured them they would.
Understandably, it was a really odd but interesting process ripping up sections of newspaper and putting them in the plant pots, especially a paper with which everyone is so familiar. People were really shocked at how easy the process actually was, which just reinforces my concept.
It was wonderful to see people picking their football team news articles to plant, their horoscopes, photographs of celebrities, politicians and even adverts they had been a part of producing in JWT!
People wrote their names, funny phrases, telephone numbers and funny faces on the pots to distinguish theirs from others. I loved the uniformity of the plant pots which had been graffiti-ed by the participants.
Choosing to exhibit the greenhouse post event day in JWT turned out to be beneficial for another reason which I had previously not taken into account. In an Ad agency, it seems people who are used to working to deadlines, in a very stressful environment, demand instant results from their projects. Obviously, seeds take a few weeks to germinate. The participants which had taken part in the event on the Friday, told me that they came into the office the following Monday morning expecting to see fully grown and developed plants!
These things take time, I said... Have faith, and in a few weeks you will see little green seedlings, I promise!"
I was not able to return to Knightsbridge every day to check on the growing installation. Part of its second phase, post event, is to allow the participants and office workers to take responsibility for maintaining the little plant's wellbeing through watering the pots daily and making sure the greenhouse does not get too hot/cold.
I just hope people take the initiative and look after their plants properly! If they don't and they leave the pots to dry up, the outcome will still reinforce the concept that people do not have any interest/desire to enjoy nature as they are all too busy coping with London city life to find the time.
I will be returning to Knightsbridge on a weekly basis to check on the installation and to document the little plant's progress, but for now, their future is in JWT's hands! Will anything grow? Will the office unite and look after the plants and nurture the seedlings? Or will I be left with a blown down greenhouse and 60 pots of shriveled up compost with nothing to show for all of my hard work?
Only time will tell.
Understandably, it was a really odd but interesting process ripping up sections of newspaper and putting them in the plant pots, especially a paper with which everyone is so familiar. People were really shocked at how easy the process actually was, which just reinforces my concept.
It was wonderful to see people picking their football team news articles to plant, their horoscopes, photographs of celebrities, politicians and even adverts they had been a part of producing in JWT!
People wrote their names, funny phrases, telephone numbers and funny faces on the pots to distinguish theirs from others. I loved the uniformity of the plant pots which had been graffiti-ed by the participants.
Choosing to exhibit the greenhouse post event day in JWT turned out to be beneficial for another reason which I had previously not taken into account. In an Ad agency, it seems people who are used to working to deadlines, in a very stressful environment, demand instant results from their projects. Obviously, seeds take a few weeks to germinate. The participants which had taken part in the event on the Friday, told me that they came into the office the following Monday morning expecting to see fully grown and developed plants!
These things take time, I said... Have faith, and in a few weeks you will see little green seedlings, I promise!"
I was not able to return to Knightsbridge every day to check on the growing installation. Part of its second phase, post event, is to allow the participants and office workers to take responsibility for maintaining the little plant's wellbeing through watering the pots daily and making sure the greenhouse does not get too hot/cold.
I just hope people take the initiative and look after their plants properly! If they don't and they leave the pots to dry up, the outcome will still reinforce the concept that people do not have any interest/desire to enjoy nature as they are all too busy coping with London city life to find the time.
I will be returning to Knightsbridge on a weekly basis to check on the installation and to document the little plant's progress, but for now, their future is in JWT's hands! Will anything grow? Will the office unite and look after the plants and nurture the seedlings? Or will I be left with a blown down greenhouse and 60 pots of shriveled up compost with nothing to show for all of my hard work?
Only time will tell.
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