Soundscape (artificial plant)

The Artificial Plants Installation is a commentary on the artificiality of the Penn State Arboretum. The artificial plants are created by scanning the existing plants of the arboretum and fabricating new models from the scans. The shape and character of the artificial plants are derived from the original plants but are mainly informed by the technology used (3d scanner, 3D modeling programs, CNC router, and 3D printer) and the limitations of the technology. The technology driven designs produce pieces abstracted from the original form and look seemingly chaotic and disordered. By placing the new subversive species in the arboretum, the installation becomes viral and undermines the overly manicured arboretum. By placing plants that are entirely artificial yet represent the very essence of nature - unpredictability, disorder, the wild - better than the existing manicured plants, we question whether the arboretum is natural at all or just a product of man.