Guerrillas in the Midst
October 24, 2009 by Robin Plaskoff Horton
Toronto street artist, provocateur, and now guerrilla gardener, Posterchild, created this planted flyer box:
“I create public installations (or ‘street art” pieces) that are both playful and political,” commented the artist on his blog. “I create my art to engage with my environment and those who share it with me. I do not seek to anger or upset my companions in the city, rather, I am searching for a benevolent, sustainable way to involve myself in our shared public spaces without being arrested or unnoticeable…I create my art from unwanted things…I gather my materials from the flotsam of the urban environment, process it, and return it to the city.”
Of this installation, he explains, “The boxes make a perfect platform for planters–and with them, you can guerrilla garden almost anywhere in the inhospitable concrete city! Best of all, the sides are open for writers and artists.”
Guerrilla gardeners believe in re-considering land ownership to reclaim land from perceived neglect or misuse and assign a new purpose to it. Guerrilla Gardening, according to Wikipedia, is political gardening, a form of direct action, primarily practiced by environmentalists. It is related to land rights, land reform, and permaculture. Activists take over an abandoned piece of land they do not own to grow crops or plants.
Some guerrilla gardeners carry out their actions at night, in relative secrecy, to sow and tend a new vegetable patch or flower garden. Others work more openly, seeking to engage with members of the local community as a form of proactive activism or pro-activism.
Category: Garden Tourism, Green & Sustainable, Greening, Guerilla Gardening!, Lifestyle, Travel
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Best post title ever! Good story too.
— October 24, 2009 @ 14:38
Great story, love the planter! Keep up the beautiful work Posterchild.
— October 25, 2009 @ 07:52
Seed Bombs | PixelVomit Pingback said:
[…] a bomber. With Seedbom, a friendly bomb that grows, you can join forces with nature by becoming a guerilla gardener. Got a neighbor whose garden is an eyesore? Or do you pass a barren empty lot every day that cries […]
— February 1, 2010 @ 04:45
urban gardens, Can You Parallel Park Your Garden? Pingback said:
[…] need of inspiration? You might check out gardens in suitcases, those planted in abandoned news boxes and even a truck […]
— February 8, 2010 @ 20:58
Urban Guerrilla Gardening: Pothole Gardens Surface In Britain Pingback said:
[…] a forest in the road,” says Britain’s self-proclaimed pothole gardener, Pete Dungey. Guerrilla gardening efforts such as this one have become more and more prevalent in Britain when, as recently as March […]
— March 24, 2010 @ 12:28
Guerrilla Gardening Seed Bombs Away! | Urban Gardens | Unlimited Thinking For Limited Spaces Pingback said:
[…] aresenal of guerrilla gardening weapons is growing. My post a while back about the Seedbom, a grenade-shaped seed bomb, generated […]
— April 6, 2010 @ 13:04
Win a Lechuza Self-Watering Container: Enter Our Think Outside the Planter Box Photo Contest! Pingback said:
[…] in the midst: Posterchild’s newspaper box turned into […]
— March 18, 2011 @ 15:43
Quick! Call the Seed Bomb Squad - Plantworks Inc Pingback said:
[…] a bomber. With Seedbom, a friendly bomb that grows, you can join forces with nature by becoming a guerilla gardener. Got a neighbor whose garden is an eyesore? Or do you pass a barren empty lot every day that cries […]
— July 11, 2011 @ 19:22
Definitely a unique design. You would have to have a certain garden design to use this.
— August 16, 2012 @ 23:35
5 Acts of Urban Guerrilla Gardening by Guerrilla Gardeners Pingback said:
[…] Guerrillas in the Midst Toronto street artist, provocateur, and guerrilla gardener, Posterchild, created this garden in an […]
— December 11, 2013 @ 16:30
How to Join the Seed Bomb Squad – enverde Pingback said:
[…] bombs are like tiny revolutions, and super fun. They hold the power to transform the Earth one little bomb at a time. What was once […]
— August 20, 2016 @ 03:58
Urban Hacktivism Reinventing Public Spaces - Urban Gardens Pingback said:
[…] You might call Florian Rivière a guerrilla urbanist. Much in the way guerrilla gardeners take possession of underutilized, sometimes offbeat, public spaces to plant gardens, Rivière–a self-proclaimed “urban hacktivist”– reinvents and diverts public spaces as a means of encouraging citizens to “reclaim their urban environments.” Inspired by hackers, DIY culture, and civic engagement, Rivière’s “hacktions”– a fusion of public space design, upcycling and militant expression—are usually raw and spontaneous and created exclusively from objects found on the street. […]
— July 5, 2022 @ 08:47
Artist Spins a Yarn With Parisian Street Art - Urban Gardens Pingback said:
[…] you’ve seen some cool guerrilla gardens or street art, please share them on our Pinterest board or by commenting below! We’ll be […]
— July 6, 2022 @ 09:45