Food Grows Where Water Flows

Featured in USC’s “Assignment Earth: Solutions for a Sustainable Future” conference, this installation is constructed from repurposed cardboard, plastic bags, and paper. With each frame measuring 12 × 24 × 4.5 inches, the project utilizes recycled materials sourced from grocery items and paper waste collected around campus. Each frame showcases a different water-intensive crop grown in California—avocados, almonds, pasture grasses, pistachios, and lemons—creating a visual narrative of water scarcity. The imagery depicts the plants thriving at the top, gradually transitioning to a state of resource deprivation toward the bottom, emphasizing the importance of resource efficiency, drought awareness, and the impact of packaging waste.