Turning In and Turning

Turning In, 2015 and Turning, 2017, Laura Wills and William Cheesman with Jack Ladd

Plaster, soil, seeds, sand, bamboo, wire, plastic

Turning In was installed as an ephemeral and site specific horticultural installation commissioned by University Collections installed at Waite campus. It is the first stage in the reactivation of the former wheat testing plots. Drawing from the historical use of the site and the adjacent Meteorological Station it explores an aerial view of a weather catching settlement. The plots have been planted with various green manure crops that will be turned in to rejuvenate the soil. A watercourse traverses the plots and provides a space for dwelling and meteorological testing sculptures. Becoming a walkway the watercourse provides an interconnected way for people to engage with the work. 

Turning is a site specific semi permanent artwork designed for the plots adjacent the meteorological station at Waite Campus. Central to the plots a handmade windsock turns atop it's posts. Below it circles of native edibles and grasses radiate out. The grasses grow in 360 degrees. Working with the rejuvenated soil the native grasses provide a green presence keeping the soil alive into the future. The grasses represent a ripple of change spreading out in to the community. Sand and black mulch have been used to draw radiating rings through the plots, signifying weather chart markings. Turning provides entry level exposure to the elements, through the movement of the windsock.