KATHRYN MILLER MICHAEL CATHCART

UNDER THE FREEWAY: THE GRASSLANDS PROJECT WAS A COLLABORATIVE PROJECT WITH AUSTRALIAN WRITER AND HISTORIAN MICHAEL CATHCART FOR A SITE IN DOWNTOWN MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA. MY PART OF THE PROJECT FOCUSED ON INTRODUCING NATIVE GRASSES BACK INTO AN URBAN AREA AND TO TRANSFORM A NEGLECTED TRASH-RIDDEN POCKET OF CITY LAND INTO A MORE AESTHETIC AND SUSTAINABLE PLACE.

MICHAEL CATHCART FOCUSED ON RESEARCHING THE HISTORY OF THE AREA AND TO HELP DEFINE ITS FUTURE . HIS WORK WAS PUBLISHED IN A BOOK TITLED GRASSLANDS: AN ENVIRONMENTAL ART PROJECT/UNDER THE FREEWAY.

I CHOSE TO PLANT NATIVE GRASSES BECAUSE OVER-GRAZING AND THE INTRODUCTION OF NON-NATIVE SPECIES HAVE DESTROYED 99.5% OF THE NATIVE GRASSES IN VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA. THE SITE WAS ALSO TO FUNCTION AS A SEED BANK FOR FUTURE URBAN RESTORATION PROJECTS AND COULD BE VIEWED AESTHETICALLY BY PEOPLE DRIVING BY AT 60 MPH.