VIAL LADDER

2000
5'x10"x2"
Bronze, glass vials and milkweed seeds

Milkweed seeds are ethereal, exquisitely light, essential to the survival of the Monarch butterflies, and toxic. They will grow into plants that will exclusively support the life cycle of the Monarch caterpillars making them poisonous to their natural predators.

The vials used to hold each milkweed seed in this sculpture are also instruments used in laboratories to develop herbicides and pesticides that wipe out milkweeds and in turn the magnificent Monarch butterflies.