Outdoor museum
On the outer bounds of Esoterra Culinary Garden, site specific land art provides therapeutic awe for farmers and community alike. This outdoor museum is where land and sea meet, to contemplate in the open air and sheltered sanctuaries. Nestled in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, what once was a vast ocean, each artwork serves as a gentle reminder to relax and ponder, as you would with sand beneath your feet.
In addition to land art, this outdoor museum has native plants that grow year after year through extreme weather and drought, without upkeep; creating an edible landscape that supports the farm and increases ecological resilience. It serves as an example of connecting the wild and cultivated, expanding upon our relationship with and tending to the untamed - what lies beyond the field isn’t to be ignored, but embraced.
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Clifftop stairs
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9
Arbor
The cove
10
3
Floating lagoon
1
Dock of the bay
2
Sand dollar
Keyhole arch
Parting the sea
Sea stacks
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Chopsticks
7
Sea ball
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12
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Nature of the nest
1 Dock of the bay | Where fallen cottonwood bark meets its trunk once again. Designed for a place to waste time.
2 Sand dollar | A spiral set of undulating rays with layers shooting to the sky. Where luck meets fate.
3 Floating lagoon | Decades of cottonwood branches reconnected on the floor. For those looking out to sea.
4 Clifftop stairs | Chunky bark paves the way descending to the creek. When you need to meet the waters edge.
5 Sea stacks | Slabs of bark dropped from a tree. Like driftwood weathered by currents of the sea.
6 Chopsticks | Two arms embrace like a big floating hug. Uniting land and sea.
7 Sea ball | Last years’ thistles entwined into a ball. Ready to be picked up and rolled off in the wind.
8 Arbor | Branches carefully balanced like a bridge in the sky. A window for impermanent paintings of the land.
9 The cove | Willow branches formed to a tree’s shape. Opening a secret gateway to another world.
10 Keyhole arch | A circle of branches naturally curved by the wind. Look beyond and thou shall see.
11 Nature of the nest | A nest-like structure for neighboring wildlife composed of discarded tree prunings and plant matter.
12 Parting the sea | A secret valley carved from willow trees. Opening the gates to a hidden creek.