Join interdisciplinary artist Elizabeth Demaray in this Instagram Live series every Friday at noon ET as she talks about creating the Manhattan Tundra Project, a living sculpture that is an emergent ecosystem, inspired by her residency at the LMCC Arts Center on Governors Island.

Each week, Elizabeth will give viewers a tour of the work in progress and let them eavesdrop as she chats with experts about how to use new materials focused on ecology and re-use. Watch live @elizdemaray. (Arts Event Producer: Ellen Sturm Niz)

In the Manhattan Tundra Project, Elizabeth will be constructing 3-D forms of the landmasses of NY Harbor as box-type upholstered couch cushions. Each cushion will be filled with GaiaSoil and planted with seeds sourced from migrating bird guano. The sculpture is a proposal for planting a human-supported emergent eco-system on the top of skyscrapers in Lower Manhattan.

March 25 at noon via IG Live
Expert chat with developmental plant biologist and ecologist  Dr. Paul S. Mankiewicz about plants and nesting sites to include in her sculpture to support species migration. 

Paul designed and built some of the first green roofs and swales in NYC, and he is the Chief Scientist and Co-Founder of Leaf Island, a green technology company that makes GaiaSoil, a soil substance created from upcycled styrofoam, that Elizabeth is using as the "stuffing" in this large-scale soft-bodied sculpture. GaiaSoil and Leaf Island’sother award-winning products return ecosystem functions to cityscapes, roads & rooftops.

April 1 at noon via IG Live
TBD

Elizabeth Demaray is a sculptor who works in art and technology, art/sci collaboration, and biodesign. During her residency, Elizabeth will be working on the pattern for a living sculpture called the Manhattan Tundra Project (MTP). These pieces are the landmasses of the NY harbor as seen from the top of the World Trade Center.

“In this photo, I'm holding the pattern piece for Governors Island. I will be constructing this shape as a 3 dimensional form in a geo textile, stuffing it with soil, and planting it with seeds sourced from migrating bird guano. The sculpture is a proposal for planting a human-supported emergent eco-system on the top of the World Trade Center.. I will be interviewing the scientists, designers, and artists helping me with the project on Instagram Live on Fridays at noon.” —Elizabeth Demaray