Seed Spires
2022

The
Project

In March 2022 Studio Tutto and Tre Borden /Co will launch their newest collaboration Seed Spires.

Seed Spires is a public art demonstration project meant to address the impacts of the sixth mass extinction and engage imperiled communities in climate change. According the UN the disruptive impact of human activity will soon bring about the elimination of up to one million animal and plant species and will upend life as we know it around the world. One of the most crucial species groups we are already feeling the effects of losing are pollinators. Bees and other insects are incredibly essential to so many ecologies and food systems and the cascade effects on our landscapes will be catastrophic.  Already across the US and other parts of the globe bee and insect loss is happening at a rapid rate, impacting ecosystems permanently.  

Our solution to restore pollinator habitats in urban settings is an artistic demonstration project called Seed Spires.  Seed Spires are six-foot tall obelisks made of compressed site earth, potting soil, and a custom blend of native seeds sourced to support the local ecology of environment.  When installed the spire will bloom and then erode into the landscape leaving behind native flora that will support threatened pollinators. They will also serve as an attractive entrypoint into conversations around climate change impacts and environmental stewardship.  We will focus the project in areas that are historically deprived of landscaping and vegetation and need opportunities for transformation and education. We will also partner with community organizations and agencies to adopt and execute the spires fostering buy-in from those who are impacted by the intervention.

For many, the existential threat of climate change is overwhelming but also abstract.  Artists play a vital role in translating some of our most potent and complex ideas into an emotional and accessible experience. Our project hopes to reposition artists as a valuable resource to explain and fight environmental degradation.

We are partnering with the Theodore Payne Foundation for Wild Flowers and Native Plants for our first public installation in March! We will be taking over the gallery with a mural installation and installing Seed Spires along and atop a trail that leads to a vista overlooking Los Angeles.  We are so excited. To get involved in the project as a funder or to host a Seed Spire in your community please email [email protected]!