Summer Turns to Autumn at the Archive House

The Sweet Pea Currant Tomatoes are dwindling as the season ends.  We had an abundant  July and August with hundreds of tomatoes, mostly cherry-sized, but also a few larger like the Indigo Rose.

Between the neighbors and the squirrels, the vines are nearly clear of fruits.  Yes, some of these warm days are turning the final green tomatoes red.

We have started bring some of the herbs inside for trade.  We have also started some firecracker vines from seeds harvested last year.

August 2nd at the MCA Chicago

Tables were set up for poetry and note writing.  We even made our first G.E.E.E. business cards to hand out.

 It was a beautiful day to hang out and trade thoughts and basil.

 Basil went out into the world, yet again.

Scent Sampler at MCA Chicago

 This we we brought a Scent Sampler to to the plaza.

 Much like the Scent Sampler we installed behind Theaster Gates' Archive House, it mostly consists of herbs and scented annuals.

People were invited to pinch and sniff or clip a sprig or 2 to bring home.

August 2nd on th Museum of Contemporary Art Plaza, Chicago

 On August 2nd, we were again invited to install G.E.E.E. on the plaza of the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.  This time, we only had just over 1,000 basile plants for trade.

 16 varieties this week.

 Same deal this week, plants for poems preferred.

The Dispersion of the Basil July 26th

At he beginning of the day, we had upwards of  2,000 basil plants.

 As they left, there still appeared to be LOTS of plants.

 But the gradually made it out into the world.

Finally, there were just a few flats left.

 We brought the final plants down to the Hyde Park Art Center and set up the mini-est G.E.E.E.

By the next morning, the plants dwindled.

And by Monday morning, they were virtually gone.

The People Who Traded for Basil on July 26th

 We had a wide variety of people trading at the MCA.

The plaza was an intersection of people representing many ages and backgrounds.

A bicycle tour traded their thoughts as they learned the history of Streeterville. 

Kids jumped at the opportunity  to participate let us know what was on their minds.

 Extended families stopped by to trade with us.

Friends downtown shopping and sightseeing traded.

 People working nearby traded.

 Christie LeMaster of the Nightingale Cinema traded with us.

Artist Aay Preston-Myint traded with us.

Even a band joined us.

G.E.E.E. at the MCA, July 26th, the 1st of 2 Saturdays

As part of the Words Weekend Events at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Cream Co. was invited to produce a version of G.E.E.E. on the MCA plaza.

We arrayed about 2,000 basil plants of 17 varieties on the plaza.  The basil plants were available for trade for words: a note or a poem.

For a day, the plaza functioned a site for trade, but looked like a garden.  

 We set out to document people's thoughts for the day, marking a presence of community.

The Tomato Harvest Begins

The Sweet Pea Current Tomatoes are going crazy at the Archive Yard!  There are hundreds of the gumball-sized fruits that must be picked and eaten before they rot on the vines.

Therefore, we enlisted the neighbor kids to pick until their hearts were content.

Unfortunately, their attention span didn't last.  Let's just hope they remember their first lesson in pairing: tomatoes and basil.

G.E.E.E. at Mana Contemporary

High Concept Laboratories requested G.E.E.E. pop up at a Mana Contemporary's Open House.  We installed a tomato trading post for 1 day only.

We set up shop in HCL's space, the time they've been able to use the space.  Rebuild Foundation had an Open House the same afternoon, so we specifically the Mana operation to be help-yourself.

I returned toward the end of the Mana event, not knowing what to expect.  As I got out of my car, I began to notice streams of tomato seedlings work their way out of the buuilding.

When I got inside, a cue of people were patiently in line to write poems and leave notes in exchange for their seedlings.

Yet again, hundreds of tomato seedlings found their way out into the world through. G.E.E.E.

The Tomato Seedlings are in the Archive Yard

 G.E.E.E. now offers thousands of tomato seedlings for a poem, for a note or for free in the yard behind the Archive House.

The seedlings arrived just in time for Rebuild Foundation's Sunday Open House barbeque.