S3E7: Grass
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Host: Jennifer Gutman
On this episode of Art of Interference, we speak with British creative duo Heather Ackroyd and Dan Harvey about their pioneering grass portraits and the role of visual art in climate activism. We also talk with Vanderbilt professor Zee Tzankova and grassland conservationist Jeremy French about the environmental costs of chemically intensive lawncare and the importance of protecting and restoring critical grassland habitats. Grass may serve as the backdrop to summer picnics and kickball games, but the artists, scientists, and conservationists featured in this episode highlight the ways grass connects us to each other and to the basic, life-sustaining processes of all living things.
Photos of Ackroyd + Harvey’s work can be viewed on their website: https://www.ackroydandharvey.com/
To learn more about Southeastern Grasslands Institute, visit https://www.segrasslands.org/
To read an article on yardscaping co-authored by Zee Tzankova, visit https://www.researchgate.net/publication/367145744_US_Urban_and_Suburban_Yardscaping_From_Conventional_to_Regenerative
To read Ted Steinberg’s essay “American Green,” visit https://longreads.com/2019/07/18/american-green/
This episode features music by Blue Dot Sessions (“Grassland”) and Melatronic (“Alone with Nature”)