Invisible systems – microbiome systems and material transport systems – are present at the intersection of Canal and Broadway. A vacant bank building present at this intersection has the potential to plug into a multitude of networks, stimulating new growth. By exposing the living systems of this vacant bank building, my project works to reframe the meaning of the word “bank,” expanding it to an idea of a “soil bank.” This soil bank – a sort of soil body – grows to take over the layers of the building, regenerating soil health through bioremediation processes. The materialization of intangible systems challenges a stagnant mindset towards bacteria and stems opportunity for a new, symbiotic relationship between humans and the environment to take root.
