Off view
American, b. 1961
Buffalo Bayou Invasive Plant Eradication Unit, 2011
Mixed media installation
Dimensions variable
Courtesy the Buffalo Bayou Partnership, Houston
Photo by Jeffrey Jenkins
Buffalo Bayou Invasive Plant Eradication Unit was originally commissioned by the Houston Arts Alliance and the Buffalo Bayou Partnership, both based in Houston, Texas. Dion responded to a key challenge facing that city’s wetlands: the proliferation of non-native species. Dion’s mobile unit is not only a work of art, but also a working outpost that supports volunteers as they remove invasive plants that negatively impact biodiversity. Blurring the distinction between the truck’s status as artwork and a functional tool is, as Dion has stated, “how an artist today makes a consideration of the landscape.”