Scent Poems for Pipeline Plants

in collaboration with Alex Young

2022

Enacting close engagement with the ruderal plant species that grow atop the overturned earth that covers the expanse of the Line 3 pipeline, Young and french followed its path from Edmonton, Alberta, to Superior, Wisconsin. Scent poems for the plants, created with workshop participants, were deposited in ceramic vessels at intervals along the way. The scented materials–composed of airborne chemical compounds used in plant communication–were made to be activated by the sun and slowly emit their signals to nearby plants. Scented petroleum materials were gathered along the pipeline to derive new scent poems for companion vessels.

Created for and with support by 4Ground: Midwest Land Art Bienniel at Franconia Sculpture Park, curated by Ginger Shulick Porcella.

Public Events

Scent Poems for Pipeline Plants for 4Ground: Midwest Land Art Biennial LAUNCH PARTY June 4, 2022

Scent Walk for An Afternoon of Sound, Scent & Performance at Franconia Franconia Sculpture Park, 4Ground: Midwest Land Art Biennial