Over the past 15 years, I have created several temporary public projects that used plant materials as the primary language of expression. Large scale and conceptual in nature, these projects each considered aspects of our built environment and were intended to encourage dialogue about how and why we develop the land within and around our urban centers in the ways that we do.

When the opportunity became available to be engaged at the SWF for 13 months, I became very intrigued with ideas about health, healing and greenspace. The informal park in the SWF neighborhood is slated to be developed and will become a formal part of the Portland Public Park system in 2009. Until that time, it is an expansive grassy plinth used primarily for soccer and dog walking. No plants, no trees – just grass. At the northern-most edge of this greenspace is the new OHSU Center for Health and Healing, and just across Macadam Avenue, with a view of the park, sits the National College of Naturopathic Medicine. With this clear intent to foster health and healing situated around the South Waterfront district, I began to conceptualize a project that would make use of some of this temporary open greenspace by addressing the role plants have played in the history of sustaining the body.

With the permission of Portland Development Commission, I was able to break ground last week on Corpus Botanicus – a project that explores the history of herbal medicine and healing from a body systems point-of-view. Working in consultation with herbalist Missy Rohs, the Corpus Botanicus installation involves over 150 plants – many native to the region, and groups them in nine beds that each address a major system in the body: Respiratory, Skin and Muscles, Immunity and Lymph, Heart and Circulatory, Kidney and Urinary, Reproductive, Nervous System, Liver and Digestive and Spirit. About 2/3 of the plants will be planted this fall, with the remainder added in early spring. Each plant will be marked with its common and Latin name, and beds will be identified by system. Because many of the plants known to be efficacious to healing could not be planted due to their Noxious and/or Nuisance status, they will be represented in the their relevant beds with markers that note their reason for absence. Missy will be giving several informational tousr of the beds in the spring and will also offer several tincture-making classes. For more information or to attend a walk or workshop, please contact: artistinresidence@southwaterfront.com.