Walking your pet is a good way to get some exercise and meet some fellow animal lovers. And if you believe in cheesy romcoms, you might even find true love.
But what if you’re a plant lover? Heck, walk it too.
The first Walk the Plant Project (遛草計劃) is taking place tomorrow at Treasure Hill Artist Village, where people can try out various plant-walking devices and learn to make their own as well as other plant accessories. Attendees can participate in workshops to learn how to make a cement plant-walker with or without wheels, weave a hanging plant holder and water dye a pot with colorful marble patterns.
Photo courtesy of O,AU Design Lab
Summer Hsieh (謝維真), founder of O,AU Design Lab and one of the organizers, says that while there are numerous meetups and clubs for a variety of hobbies, amateur horticulturalists don’t get out much, with most exchanges taking place over the Internet. “We want to create a new type of lifestyle and interaction, whether it is between human and plant or human and human,” she says.
Hsieh says she first had the idea of people socializing through their green pets when she gathered a group of friends and took photos of their plants on her roof. She found it interesting to see the different angles and themes people went with during the photoshoot and enjoyed exchanging ideas about housing and decorating the plants. Thus, the idea for this event was born.
The photo bit comes into this event as a treasure hunt challenge. Organizers have hidden plant walkers and other accessories in different corners of Treasure Hill. Attendees can create their own plant photos and post them to Instagram with the hashtag #walktheplant for a chance to win a concrete plant walker.
“I hope people can get creative, but in fact, the act of bringing your plants outside is already a method of walking them,” she says.
Plant walking is probably not a growing trend worldwide, but it has gained some attention in the US and UK after American actor Thomas Roy and his wife Ruth made July 27 “Take Your Houseplant for a Walk Day.” To put things in context, they’ve created 80 special days — all of which are listed in the authoritative Chase’s Calendar of Events — including “Answer Your Cat’s Question Day” and “Yell ‘Fudge’ at the Cobras of America Day.”
Obviously these aren’t meant to be taken seriously, but every July 27, there have been reports of people following Roy’s advice that walking their plants in the neighborhood “enables them to know their environment, thereby providing them with a sense of knowing, bringing on wellness.”
It doesn’t matter if we’re four months late to the game or whether Roy’s statement is true or not. If you love your plant, take it for a walk.
Event Notes
What:Walk the Plant Project
When: Tomorrow from 2pm to 5pm
Where: Cross Plaza (十字廣場) at Treasure Hill Artist Village (寶藏巖國際藝術村), 2, Alley 14, Ln 230, Dingzhou Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市汀州路三段230巷14弄2號)
Admission: Free to try plant walkers; workshops are between NT$200 and NT$480
On the Net:www.facebook.com/events/1512274869087530 (Chinese)
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