Maya Nayak talks to See-ming Lee about how Window Farms work during the Eyebeam Open Studios in Fall 2009, a biennial events showcasing artists who explore art using traditional medium as well as technology.
== Window Farms ==
Window Farms are vertical, hydroponic, modular, low-energy, high-yield edible window gardens built using low-impact or recycled local materials.
== The Beach The Pier ==
Goal 1: to start a Windowfarming craze in New York City and other dense urban areas, helping people grow some of their food year-round in their apartment windows.
Goal 2: give ordinary folks a means to collaborate on research and development at http://our.windowfarms.org
== History ==
In February 2009, through a residency at Eyebeam, Britta Riley and Rebecca Bray began to build and test the first Window Farms prototype. Growing food inside NY apartments is a challenge, but within reach. The foundational knowledge base is emerging through working with agricultural, architectural and other specialists, collecting sensor data, and reinterpreting hydroponics research conducted by NASA scientists and marijuana farmers. We have been researching and developing hydroponic designs that are inexpensive and made from relatively inexpensive materials. The working prototype is a drip system made from recycled water bottles, holding 25 plants. Beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, arugula, basil, lettuce and kale are thriving.
While completing the first Prototype in mid-April, we invited a dozen “Pioneers” to join us in creating Window Farms. We asked them to approach the project like a night class, devoting one night a week for two months. We showed them our prototype and presented the DIY research and development we did so far and invited them to build on our research to create their own designs. Currently, the Pioneers are designing their systems. Their innovative ideas are adding to the knowledgebase about DIY hydroponics.
SML Simulcast
+ http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=186977293034
+ http://www.flickr.com/photos/seeminglee/4051350461/
+ http://www.vimeo.com/7302826
+ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9jUb5rMIcU