Memphis is chock full of vacant lots. No neighborhood is exempt and some neighborhoods are worse than others. There's a limit to how many can be converted to community gardens or to playgrounds, so what to do with the others? City and County government don't have the personnel to keep these lots mowed and even charging the owners for the mowing is futile; most don't even pay their taxes. The process for taking property for unpaid taxes is cumbersome and long, although I'm hopeful that changes are in the works for that.
In the meantime, an environmental artist here named Tommy Wilson has an idea called "Bomb the Blight." He loads an air cannon with biodegradable balloons filled with wildflower seeds, gelatin, fertilizer and food-based paint. He fires these balloons onto a vacant lot and the initial result is a splashy abstract painting! Later the seeds (at least 25% of them, he hopes) germinate, paving the way for a wildflower garden next year. So at least the lots are pretty!
He's going to "bomb" Washington Bottom (Washington at Watkins) at noon this Saturday. Sadly, I'll be out of town. But the next planned bombing is at the site of the former Anderton's at Madison and Barksdale on Sunday November 14 at 1:00pm. I'll be there! And on November 20, he'll do a site for the New Face for an Old Broad happening.
What a great idea! You can read the whole story here. And Mr. Wilson has a blog: Bomb the Blight. Check it out and maybe donate a little "seed money!"
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