joe slovo drive gauntlet

_Joe Slovo Drive Gauntlet - a living billboard visualising opinions (from the demo-graphic installation).

Demo-graphic_ - a graphic that demonstrates a demographics’ position - is an art project which visually communicates public opinions.

The Joe Slovo Gauntlet is a green wall (living billboard) that is placed on a busy underpass in Johannesburg (Joe Slovo Drive).

The billboard uses hydroponics to grow plants. Each plant’s growth is controlled digitally and acts as a pixel in a predetermined composition - i.e. each plant’s growth is used to create a part of a picture; the decision to allow a plant to grow is linked to a public poll on a yes-no question that is posed to them on an easily accessible online platform like twitter or whatsapp, etc. The “yes’” may lead to one group of plants growing and the “no’s” may lead to another. The overall density of the composition provides a clue to the public participation and the composition itself represents the public’s opinion.

The gradual growth of the plants to form the composition can intrigue those who drive on the road daily. When the composition is complete, the plants can become a public resourse: beautify the streetscape, slightly contribute to the removal of pollutants, provide fruit or vegetables to pedestrians and show the public what the general opinion of their neighbourhood is.