MW | Convergence Station | Numina Foliage
(Above Image Credit - Sam Silkworth)
The installation of the foliage layer in Convergence Station’s Numina was a massive undertaking that required hand installation of each piece of foliage (in all of it’s species) on every surface of a 3-story tall room made of concrete. The purpose of the foliage was to breathe life into Numina and to help it operate as a believable ‘natural’ environment.
I acted as Art Director for the Foliage leading up to and throughout the onsite installation. I worked with Caity Kennedy very closely throughout the development of Numina and especially during install. I was responsible for managing a team that sized 2-12 people, depending on the daily needs of the site.
Above are examples of the placement of foliage in various densities that shows several different species and how they interact with each other, the substrate, and larger sculptural elements.
Above are detail and progress shots that show little parts and also almost nothing of the scope of work. Mockups, Cataloging, Prefabrication, Template Creation for Vendors, Scaffolding, Lift, and Ladder Work were all elements of the tasks required on a daily basis of the foliage install team.
The physical elements show their contribution to the final work simply, but what is more difficult to articulate is all of the planning and organization that goes into this level of work. Foliage install required an understanding of technical infrastructure, material and human resource planning, coordination with multiple trades and contractors onsite for access to install locations, awareness of shifts in timeline and schedule, and an intrinsic knowledge of the creative intent of the space to be able to come close to the final goal.
As I mentioned before, this undertaking was massive. None of this could have been accomplished alone and I want to thank everyone who participated on the Foliage Team:
Emmanuelle John
Wylla Skye
Shakti Howeth
Jaelah Kumichael
Julia Strauss
Greg Ballenger
Alexandra Carmona
Talia de Silva
Caity Kennedy
Adam Rosen
Matt Crimmins
Matt King
Alex Gomez
Guillermo Ruiz
Tammy
Dulce, Juan, and the whole KHS&S Crew
and last but not least, Tim Gunn for showing us the way!
