The Making of Pets, 2009
discarded water bottles, aluminum fence wire, steel,
wood, and paint; 15' x 18' x 15'
The Making of Pets, part of the 10th Annual Avenue of the Arts, downtown Kansas City, MO, is a continuation on a theme by artist Matthew Farley. Water bottles, collected from sites in both Kansas City, MO and Lawrence, KS, form a fountain, symbolizing the nearby confluence of the Kansas and Missouri rivers. The title, The Making of Pets, refers in part to the production and transportation of PET bottles, which in turn relates to its location at the entry of a parking garage. Known as the “City of Fountains,” Kansas City is an appropriate location for this work, which was designed to transform the parking garage itself into a waterless fountain—incorporating the landscape bed as a "pool" with the shrubs acting as small "jets." Furthermore, as it relates to both fountains and topiary gardens, the piece explores themes of dominance and affection found in our relationship with nature.
