(1995)

In a dialogue with nature, Kaplan’s interest in seeding “mud constructions” began with her Torah series in 1990. Kaplan began to physically forge human forms in soil and grass, and to document them in a series of ongoing photographs, forming the Fertile Garden series.

“A small plot in my back yard became a home to a new ‘family’. Mud seeded with grass was shaped to form a baby; next, a young boy; and finally, full-sized parents. The camera traced their changes over the summer, until, finally, the grass had grown rich, deep and full, suggesting the stages of human growth.”  — Nomi Kaplan