RUTABAGAS
laser inscribed rutabagas, shelving, sand, plates, table, chairs
variable dimensions
2020
The installation, Rutabagas, fostered a dialog about campus food insecurity and hunger. Rutabagas often considered to be a famine food or used as livestock feed were extensively farmed in the early 20th century in Knox County, IL, site of Borzello Gallery at Knox College. Viewer participants take a plate of rutabaga to a nearby table, read the quote about hunger and if moved contribute their own experiences of hunger on the provided napkin and pencil. The quotes are pinned to the wall, collected at the end of the exhibition and potentially are inscribed into rutabagas in the next installation. By the end of the exhibition, the rutabagas sprout and afterwards are planted in community gardens on campus and used at the school cafeteria.
