“Growing Up” depicts a diorama of a childhood bedroom being overgrown by plants. The space is designed to appear abandoned, representing the ephemerality of moving on and growing older, as well as the fleeting beauty of plants.

I created the bedroom structure and furniture using cardboard and chipboard, which I then painted with acrylic. The cardboard furniture is functional, with the bedside table able to pull out and reveal more plants inside. All of the books on the shelves can also be opened and closed.

The bedding was created from cut-up bedsheets that were sewn and stuffed to create a plush, realistic look. The chia plants were grown over the span of a week by spreading soaked chia seeds over a wet paper towel and placing them inside a ziplock bag to retain moisture. Once the chia seeds had grown, I cut the paper towel into pieces and placed them inside the final diorama.