Lauren Bennett
Advisor: Shawn Bailey
Villainizing the Dandelion
This work focuses on de-commodifying emotional affiliations to land to support the de-objectification of human nature. The process of researching and identifying opportunities within place and people began with understanding the history behind the commodification of flowers. People and plants are animate beings and thus cannot be commodified or objectified. Understanding the Honorable Harvest by Robin Wall-Kimmerer is fundamental to guiding the process, decisions, and design of this thesis.
Situated in Sioux Lookout in Northwestern Ontario, “The Hub of the North” services 33 northern communities of over 25,000 people.1 The final design is for those who find themselves part of the street family in this town. Dandelions are seen as weeds and interruptions to perfectly manicured Land. The objectification of the street family is no different; “they” are seen as interrupters to the system. Just like dandelions, these are beings with spirits. Dandelions are medicine, hold vitamins and teachings, and are prescriptions from the sun. They need the same conditions to grow as humans; water, earth, sun, and air. When given this, they can produce seeds to continue to grow and provide nutrients to others. The project is situated at the Zone Hospital grounds in Sioux Lookout, Ontario. The buildings on this site are in a state of decay, and the materials contain asbestos. To tread lightly on the Land, the redevelopment sites atop the existing foundation.
Asking questions and sparking conversations were integral to this work. Elder Seymour described that seeing someone battling addiction and succeeding is like watering a flower and watching it bloom. Further, being around ceremony and nature is healing. Calvin Skead taught me that medicines come from all around us. They come from land, sky, air, water, and the sun, and all need to be visible at a place of healing. These medicines rely not solely on our eyesight but must be visible to all our senses.
This thesis has explored a process that reveals commonalities between humans and non-humans. It is a process of constant reflection on the simple curiosities of a flower, specifically a dandelion.