Not A Cornfield

Not A Cornfield was a 2005 art project that transformed a 32-acre (130,000 m²) industrial brownfield (today part of Los Angeles State Historic Park in the historic center of Los Angeles into a cornfield for one agricultural cycle. The project took place north of Chinatown.

Lauren Bon created this work with funds from the Annenberg Foundation and considered the piece to be a sculpture. The installation cost $3 million and took place at the future site of Los Angeles State Historic Park, which has been referred to as "The Cornfield" for years. Fifteen hundred truck loads of soil were transported to the site and one million seeds were planted.

Some people complained that the project delayed the construction of the public park at that site, that the project was approved too quickly, and that it was a waste of money.^[1][2]

There was a small edible garden in the cornfield, and the site was used for film screenings and drum circles. Group and school tours are available.

The corn was harvested in November and December 2005 and allowed to dry and put on display in the nearby and formerly empty Capital Milling Co. building for six months. It was then used for the production of biodegradable containers. The project left behind fertile soil.

Not A Cornfield is located at 1201 North Spring Street, Los Angeles, California, 90012.

Before the Harvest, October 2005

References

1. ^ 'Not a Cornfield' idea is food for thought by Daniel Hernandez
2. ^ 32 Acre Living Sculpture, Not a Cornfield, Rises in Los Angeles

See also

• Land art
• Installation art
• Corn construction
• Guerrilla gardening
• Downtown Los Angeles
• Chinatown, Los Angeles, California

External links

• Official site
• California State Parks' future use of the site
• 'Not a Cornfield' idea is food for thought by Daniel Hernandez
• 32 Acre Living Sculpture, Not a Cornfield, Rises in Los Angeles