In the spring of 2015 I walked around the [ OMNI Oakland Commons ] a lot. The radical collective of radical collectives has been emerging and forming around this space in the Temescal district of Oakland and currently includes The Public School, a laterally organized school that emphasizes theory and languages, the small press Timeless Infinite Light, the anarchist bookstore La Commune, Food Not Bombs and many more. I explored the area around the building extensively and identified a number of medicinals growing through cracks in the cement. My practice of roaming neighborhoods identifying medicinals in the Bay Area has been ongoing for a number of years.
I photographed these scrappy medicinals, manually traced the images in vector and then cut out the shapes with a laser cutter. These tracings were then used by muralist Grace Chen in her mural upstairs in the OMNI.
California PoppyDandelionFennelFennel and Mallow laser cut stencils in Mural by Grace Chen. Photo by Grace ChenDandelion laser cut stencils in Mural by Grace Chen. Photo by Grace ChenRabbit Tobacco laser cut stencils in Mural by Grace Chen. Photo by Grace Chen
Medicinals, Material Processes and Murals at the OMNI
In the spring of 2015 I walked around the [ OMNI Oakland Commons ] a lot. The radical collective of radical collectives has been emerging and forming around this space in the Temescal district of Oakland and currently includes The Public School, a laterally organized school that emphasizes theory and languages, the small press Timeless Infinite Light, the anarchist bookstore La Commune, Food Not Bombs and many more. I explored the area around the building extensively and identified a number of medicinals growing through cracks in the cement. My practice of roaming neighborhoods identifying medicinals in the Bay Area has been ongoing for a number of years.
I photographed these scrappy medicinals, manually traced the images in vector and then cut out the shapes with a laser cutter. These tracings were then used by muralist Grace Chen in her mural upstairs in the OMNI.