In collaboration with Liz Anna Kozik as Team Tragicomedy.

Cotton fabric, found objects, plants. 16′ x 8′ x 3′. 2015.

When 4401 N Ravenswood was constructed in 1922, it housed a typewriter refurbishing company. In the intervening 92 years, in the ownership of a series of companies, it has witnessed the manufacturing of diesel equipment and parts for airplanes, radios, science supplies, gears for helicopters, and “Do-Wraps” headwear. However, the building is not alone on this site: we can build and build but, just as we cannot remove our history, there is no removing plant life from our spaces. The plants that surround our building have adapted much like the tenants, finding new and creative ways to survive in the face of progress.

In this piece, Team Tragicomedy combines illustrations of weeds found on Lillstreet’s property with imagery from the building’s history to create a compressed moment in time. The flora and the objects may have been forgotten and overlooked, but they are never completely gone and they continue to help define our beloved space.