Andreas Greiner
Artist Andreas Greiner (1979) and architect Takafumi Tsukamoto (1985) live and work in Berlin. Through creations that mobilize a wide range of media, Andreas Greiner investigates the influence of human beings on the evolution and form of nature. In their instructions for building an origami pot - which will become a living sculpture once buried - Greiner & Tsukamoto highlight the (co-)dependence between humans and plants, inviting us to build a house for a tree.
Fun Fact
How many trees does a person need to breathe? Considering our average annual oxygen consumption, the average carbon production of a mature maple tree, and the molecular weight of oxygen and carbon, we estimate that it takes 7 to 8 trees to provide enough oxygen for one person. Plants produce oxygen and sugar from carbon dioxide and water through “photosynthesis”. To do this, they need light. During the night, plants conversely consume this sugar with oxygen and produce carbon dioxide as they “breathe”. Fortunately, the oxygen produced during the day is far more abundant than that consumed at night.
Call to Action
Some cities distribute seeds to their citizens, inviting them to “make their city bloom”. These are local, climate-adapted plants that generally require no maintenance. You can also make (or buy) your own “seed bombs” by rolling a few seeds of local flowering plants in clay before storming the virgin soil of our cities. Annual plant seed mixes are readily available in stores, as is ready-to-use clay. All that's left to do is find a suitable spot, such as the base of a tree, a strip of lawn along a road or in the middle of a traffic circle.
Riddle
What is the main component of the air we breathe?
A) Oxygen, which needs no introduction
B) Carbon dioxide, the famous greenhouse gas
C) Nitrogen, which is very important for diving
D) Helium, which gives us a high-pitched voice
Download the Origami Pot Manual
Instruction