Outer Seed Shadow #01 (OSS#01)

A site-specific art project that materializes the union between plant and human migration tendencies and theories, using different plant species as representatives of social groups.

Outer Seed Shadow #01 (OSS#01) was conceived by Spanish artist Juanli Carrión in 2012 when after years of living in New York he started to consider permanent residence in the US. He wanted to revisit the long-established idea of the American “melting pot” and investigate the new realities of New York immigrant life in 2014.

Carrión conducted a series of on-camera interviews with immigrants living throughout Manhattan about their personal experiences of arrival, with each interviewee ultimately selecting a plant that exists both in their country of origin and in the United States, which represents both them and their community in the public garden.

The 1,000 square foot garden is in the shape of Manhattan and will feature dozens of plants selected by immigrants living in the borough. Placed according to the intervieweesʼ real-life locations on the island, the plants represent the diversity of the city. OSS #01 activates an underused public plaza at the foot of the Avenue of the Americas.

The garden will host a series of free public programs beginning June 7th that includes artist-led tours, lectures, hands-on garden workshops and “Open Garden” days, organized in partnership with various immigrant and educational institutions including City Parks Foundation, The Blue School, Columbia University, El Centro del Inmigrante and Henry Street Settlement, among others.