mossprinter [2007 - today]

a new device to print an organic picture on cold concrete. technically speaking its a sophisticated waterspray, but mossprinter sounds better...

mossprinter No 2 (2011 - 2012)

The «mossprinter» sprays a house wall with water in a set pattern, precisely enough to enable a living moss to grow. The pattern will be similar to a printer; defined as a graphic and passed on to the «mossprinter» to do the job. Because the growth of moss might take several weeks or even months, the «mossprinter» has to repeat this pattern day and night, to keep the environment in its optimal condition.

The «mossprinter» is an ironic answer to different social topics. The advertising surfaces of consumer industries need ever larger dimensions to reach their target audiences. For some years we have seen posters the size of houses, everywhere new technologies and large screen displays are hung up, and the posters in train stations change their messages continuously in 1-second pulses. The «mossprinter» works on the same scale but more slowly, more leisurely, more elegantly and evokes with its movement a pendulum clock. Its message cannot be recognized at the beginning and only becomes clearer with time. But what is its message? Naturally a graphic or a text, or both, are represented on the wall, but the material used carries its own meaning. Moss, which is not likely to be seen on house walls, becomes through the precise application, similar to graffiti, an aesthetic element, and its past meaning is changed in this context. What if it prints graffiti? An oversized version of a tag on the house corner opposite? An advertising message for artificial fertilizers? A "moss-circle"? What happens if a new print order is applied? Mature moss dies, fresh moss grows on the naked wall, and the old picture leaves its traces and becomes a part of the new picture.

mossprinter No 1 (2008 - 2010)

click on picture to see more...

credits:
idea and concept: maybites
design and realisation: Christof Brunner

sponsor:

Bundesamt für Kultur BAK | sitemapping 2007