Yutaka Kobayashi

art and environmental / social concerns


art Far West public school, Oakland, CA, 2001 - 03



Chicken House and Eco-Art Project





Children and their local community members contribute to the construction of the "Chicken House" and become its custodians, responsible for the chickens, in a formative experience that helps them to recognize, with greater clarity, the importance of living beings in an ecosystem and in the environment on a larger scale. The installation consists in a small ecosystem centering on the chickens. It was made simultaneously in two elementary schools, in Oakland and Tokyo.







Feeding amount > Obtainable amount > Actual amount



The installation uses the same type of fencing that holds the school campus in. Hence, it raises consciousness regarding the meaning of the fencing in our society.






Students drew and wrote about their ideal chicken habitat. These drawings are installed in the chicken house nesting area.


The Feed mixed with the microorganism* to enhance the chickens' digestion.



The Ecosystem is kept in balance by using the plants* which are fertilized by the chicken's manure as feed, thus promoting the natural cycle of regeneration and growth. *grown by photosynthesis and the mineral decomposed by the microorganisms.



The neighbors from the community are encouraged to keep the small ecosystem in balance. For example, if you take the eggs from the ecosystem, please consider bringing a chicken feed to keep the system in balance.



As an educational tool, the children who foster the animals will better appreciate the importance of life in an ecosystem and in our larger environment.



© YUTAKA KOBAYASHI


www.greenarts.net