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Learning Program

Table Top Sod Sculpture

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Sod sculptures and sod furniture are compelling, and often functional, living sculpture projects. Playing around with the ideas on a small scale can help you visualize the sod sofa or sculpture you’re thinking of creating outdoors.

Objectives

Learn how combining shapes can create sculptural elements.
Develop ideas for a sod sculpture or sod sofa project.
Learn some of the requirements of a living piece of sod sculpture before approaching it outdoors.
Use your imagination!

Materials

Several knee high stockings (at least 6 per person)
Potting soil
Grass seed, untreated
Hair pins (bobby pins)
A flat, solid piece of Styrofoam

Time Required
45-60 minutes

Directions
Creating full-size sod sculptures outdoors involves shaping large quantities of soil into a desired shape and covering that shape with sod. It’s difficult to replicate the same process indoors because shaping small quantities of soil is more difficult than large amounts used in outdoor projects. This activity allows you to create the same effect of a sod sculpture on a smaller, less permanent scale to inspire an interest in a larger work. It can be done indoors or outdoors.

Using the Styrofoam as your base, or landscape to create on, find a work surface that will accommodate the Styrofoam as well as your other supplies.
Start by filling a few knee high stockings with some grass seed and soil. The filled stocking can be molded into a variety of shapes - round balls, long thin curves, flat wide steps. Make more shapes as you need them. Keep in mind that most grass seed requires light to germinate, so make sure you can see the seed through your stocking.
Using the hair pins, attach different shapes together and to your Styrofoam base. Combine a large round ball with three long, cylindrical shapes to create an armchair. Or, combine different size balls to give shape to an animal or person.
Place your creation in a spot that gets adequate light and water well. Check for water once daily, adding if needed. You’ll see grass emerge usually within a week. As your mini-sculpture fills in you can get a feel for how a similar sod sculpture might look in the outdoor landscape.

Going further…
Take your table top design to the next level by creating it or a new design with soil and sod outdoors. Check out the basics of sod sculpture construction in the Sofa Sod Project for the materials and techniques needed to create large-scale sod sculptures outdoors.

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