Off the Grid: Undocumented Species

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“Man and nature tangle together in innovative ways that might, just barely possibly, render each other capable of a finite flourishing - now and yet to come.”

— Donna J. Haraway

O f f T h e G r i d : U n do c um e nte d S pe c ie s As a counter effect on the ongoing exploitation of natural resources in Ecuador and Indonesia, the project aims to colonize the most vulnerable plant and tree species into Central Park to not only protect them from extinction but also to conser ve (sustain) the World’s biodiversity. This objective can be achieved by providing specific infrastr ucture into Central Park to provide the means (i.e. land and tools) for the indigenous people to cultivate the evasive species (far ming) for food production.



I l l e ga l For a gi ng Olmsted created Central Park for the people of New York as a green land to help clean the air for the health of all New Yorkers. Central Park has since become the home to many nonindigenous plant and tree species. The majority of these new species are introduced illegally into the park. With this insight, we propose a set of robots that helps stay with the trouble by supporting this new type of illegal horticulture. I invite you to a number of different locations where you can forage, consume, and apply different plant species to your daily life.

Edible plants

Great Hill

Illegal foraging paths

Poisonous plants

New foraging plants

West 103rd st

Medicinal plants


Start Here

Cedr o n

Manzani l l a

The Cedron plant is a lemony flavor for fish and poultr y dishes, salad dressing, jams, and desserts. It makes a delicious herbal tea and sorbet. Purple or white flowers appear in late spring or early summer. It is sensitive to cold, losing leaves at temperatures below 0 °C (32 °F). Due to its many culinar y uses, it is widely listed and marketed as a plant for the herb garden.

A yellow and white flowering plant used for medical uses. The tea from this plant helps treat colds, diarrhea, hemorrhoids, colic, and sore throats. The plant is used to flavor foods, in herbal teas, perfumes, and cosmetics. It is used to make a rinse for blonde hair, and is popular in aromatherapy; its practitioners believe it to be a calming agent to reduce stress and aid in sleep. Chamomile is known to attract bees, butterflies or birds and has fragrant blossoms. Chamomile self-sows freely; remove flowers (deadhead) if you do not want volunteer seedlings the following season.




Daniel Cedillo (516)-474-7904 danielcedillo.arch@gmail.com


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