2009
Mixed media, including artificial Christmas trees, birdsong audio, video surveillance cameras, and interior Mobile Observation Lab
21x8x6 ft
Like all hedges, the Porta Hedge – Mobile Observation Lab is a physical barrier that provides a certain amount of privacy in the guise of greenery. Unlike most hedges, the Porta Hedge is mobile, artificial, and accommodates people in its interior Mobile Observation Lab, offering insiders an opportunity to observe what is going on around the Hedge. Built within the ‘green’ paradigm, the Porta Hedge features several eco-conscious design features including solar power, a small physical footprint (2 tires and a swivel jack), recycled Christmas trees on the exterior, living plants and wood finishing on the interior, and the relaxing sound of birdsong audio on the interior and exterior.
In July and August, 2009, a team traveled the country with the Porta Hedge, siting it in landscapes as diverse as Cape Cod and Las Vegas, introducing it to the public, and field testing it. Along the way, the team broke a hedge land speed record at the Bonneville Salt Flats (90 mph), explored the possibilities of airlifting the Hedge into the Grand Canyon, documented branch thinning, observed Wal-Mart parking lots overnight, and even staked out a Kansas City neighborhood for reported gangs.
