Växtvägg

(what)

This exhibition is part of a research project to bring the boreal forest indoors to expand research, education and sensory engagement with this unique climate ecosystem. The work is a collaboration between Umeå Institute of Design (UID), UmU Department of Molecular Biology and SLU Faculty of Forest Sciences and Vertisà AB Umeå, with active engagement from the UID student climate group. Inspired by the death of the existing UmArts plantwall, we came together during the fall of 2022 to follow its decay; then from January to May 2023, we experimented with the molecular biosystems active in the seemingly dead wall; bringing the complex ecosystem of the Boreal Forest indoors; and developing aesthetic, educational and research opportunities for indoor vertical gardens in the Arctic region.

(why)

Project outcomes will inform research into local and extended growing seasons; boreal forest and human connections with the plants, critters, forage-able foods and soil of this unique forest microbiome; and propose diverse possibilities for the design and implementation of vertical gardens in the Arctic.

(who)

Umeå University (UmU)
/ Umeå Institute of Design, UID Climate Group
/ UmU Department of Molecular Biology
/ Umeå Centre for Microbial Research (UCMR) Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU)
/ Faculty of Forest Sciences
/ Dept. of Forest Genetics and Plant Physiology, Umeå
/ School for Forest Management, Skinnskatteberg Vertisà AB, Umeå