"Under the sea" by Monique Capanelli Monique Capanelli
DCL
Monique Capanelli was raised growing an organic garden, way before organic was cool. As a child she helped her father tend his vegetables, which supplied the food for their family's Sonoma Valley restaurant. Now an eco-florist based in Austin, Texas, Capanelli has found a new application for plants: artwork. (Take a peek at her her green art and sustainable landscape outfit, Articulture Designs).
Below, we speak to the plant crafter about her "living walls" - art that truly does imitate life.
Planet Green: How long have you been making your living wall pieces?
Monique Capanelli: I have had my business Articulture for a year now. But I have been a lover of plants since I was a child. My dad was a big gardener and horticulturist. I have dabbled in various art forms all my life, and at one point, those two worlds converged.?
PG: So, where did you get the inspiration for creating these types of pieces?
?MC: Plants constantly surprise and inspire me with their variety and textures. Patrick Blanc, who is a French botanist and has been designing and building large vertical gardens for years, is very amazing and I was interested in playing with plants in that fashion. I wanted to take a twist by housing them in unique and colorful frames, and 'painting' patterns and scenes by using the plants size and colors and textures.
PG: Talk to us about this particular work, "Under the Sea." The plants you use do look sea urchin-like, and some of those pink leaves seem to resemble coral. How did you select plants for this work, and how long did it take to create start to finish?
MC: I love to scuba dive, and I see so much resemblance in sea life and plant life. I chose the particular plants in this piece because of their qualities in leaf structure, color and variation of textures. The colors in the bromeliads popped with the bright shades of pink and their star like shape. When I added the coral sea fans and barnacles, it really came together as a snap shot of a reef. From sourcing and designing to building, it probably took me 10 hours.
PG: In general, what types of plants work well for your artwork?
?MC: I like plants that are tough in general. Here in Austin, the weather can be extremely hot or extremely wet. I find that a variety of succulents do well. In addition, the Bromeliad family is great; it has many different species to play with and they are comfortable in a vertical environment. It consists of 51 genera and around 1500 American species. The can grow from the dry deserts of southwestern U.S to the equatorial tropical rain forests. Most of them can withstand the frost and freezing rain we sometimes see here in Texas, but they would still need to be protected during that season.
WATCH VIDEO: Do you like the idea of living walls? Check out this clip to see how one man created a living roof, and then used it to provide his home's AC.
PG: How long do your wall hangings last?
?MC: All of my work is designed and built to live and grow. They will last as long as the light requirements are met and watering is sufficient. Because we are playing with living pieces though, there are casualty risks. I work with my clients to make sure that the piece that is made is going in a spot that has optimum success, away from potential dangers like pets or doors, but close enough to the growing conditions they need. ?
PG: How does one care for their living wall?
?MC: I use a spritz bottle for the interior pieces to water the plants. For exterior pieces, I put my water wand on mist or shower, and spray it down. The water frequency changes based on planting material, and whether the piece is inside or outside. I offer maintenance for clients like I would for my landscape projects. Irrigation techniques for outside pieces are also possible. ??
PG: If someone wants to own one of your living wall pieces but doesn't live in Austin, is it possible to order one?
MC: I do destination installations. Some of the ones I create are very detailed, so shipping gets challenging.
PG: Your business is a year old. How have people responded to your living wall artworks?
MC: The response has been overwhelmingly positive. When people realize that the plants are actually alive they are stunned. I think it is exciting for people to see plants used in a new way.
