Farm Fountain

By christine on November 11th, 2009, 9:12 pm 5 Comments

Grow your own salads and fish at home??!

Yes, it’s possible, with a collaborative art/ biology project called Farm Fountain, created by Ken Rinaldo and Amy Youngs of Ohio State University. Farm Fountain is an indoor ecosystem that has the ability to grow edible and ornamental fish and plants. Centered around the concept of aquaponics ( a system in which plants and animals live together in a closed, recirculating environment), this fountain uses a simple pond pump and the pull of gravity to bring  the nutrient-rich fish waste  to the plant roots. In return, the plants and bacteria in the system serve to purify the water for the fish. The plants growing in the fountain include silantro, mint, basil, tomatoes, chives, parsley, mizuna, watercress and tatsoi, and the fish are Koi, goldfish, and Tilapia (The Tilapia are edible).

This project is a great example of local, sustainable agriculture and recycling, as well as an interactive and eye-catching art piece. The work creates a healthy indoor  environment, providing  oxygen and light to the humans working around the space. The sound of trickling water through the plant containers creates a peaceful waterfall while the Koi and Tilapia  inside the tank provide a relaxing viewing experience. This ecosystem is quite inexpensive and  recycle-friendly, using 2-Litre plastic bottles as planters, while the water in the system is continuously recycled and purified naturally. In fact, the creators provide instructions on how you can make your own at home ( A sustainable solution to save $ during the recession??)

 

This Farm Fountain (and similar variants of it) have been showcased in numerous galleries and museums around the world, including the U.S. This is only one fascinating project of many that the artists have created, for more like these their websites ( click on their names above)  have alot to offer.

Category: blog | Tags: biology Farm Fountain fish recycling sustainability | Permalink: Farm Fountain