BACO
JON
Hi Baco, thanks for the image and text you sent me. It got me thinking. Recently I was given a great book called “Our Edible Roots; The Japanese Canadian Kitchen Garden” published by Tonari Gumi of Vancouver, along with a little starter kit for growing sprouts at home. I’ve never grown anything before. Like you, I live in a highrise building, so the countertop mason jar garden seemed like a good way to start. Five days later I had delicious alfalfa sprouts and it felt a bit like magic. I quickly got into it with fervor, upgrading my straining screens and sewing a little fabric shade cover for the jar. Like most artists, I’ve encountered lot of pandemic-related challenges in the studio, project after project has hit brick walls that seemed to bar me from the finish lines. While languishing indoors to wait out pandemic lockdowns and avoid inclement weather, I felt like my life was slightly on hold. But my new hobby; my little sprout garden, has become something of an antidote, one that comes with a daily feeling of accomplishment. I marvel at the way these little seeds sit dormant for months on end, but when the moment is right, when favourable conditions present themselves, they spring to life. I am taking a cue from them and hibernating a little. I am taking a pause to think, plan, reflect. For the moment, until the long-term projects can ramp up again, I bide my time working my way through the stack of unread Artforum magazines that have accrued over the years, and coaxing seeds into sprouts.