This week has left me feeling extremely grateful. Sammi and I had the opportunity to visit a farm that was completely new for us, shared an amazing meal with coworkers and friends, and learned a heck of a lot about tomatoes!
A project as malleable as the virtual reality program we have been contributing to these past 6 weeks is guaranteed to face many changes. Following a discussion with Tapan about the actual goals of the VR world we are working to create, we have begun to move in a new direction. This week we focused on larger objects on the farm as opposed to crops and other small and living things. We successfully captured shots of various large farm equipment and Red Hook Farm staples such as the iconic colorful picnic tables with red umbrellas. The goal is to continue to capture as many attributes of the farm as possible to cultivate a result that feels cohesive and immersive for the user whether they are using a platform of virtual or augmented reality. In the next few weeks, we plan on getting a tour of the farm from Brandon himself, the content of which we can hopefully replicate in the program for the VR and AR users.
After our VR work for the day had come to a close at Red Hook Farm, Sammi and I decided to stay and help out wherever we were needed. Koron had just shown me how to correctly prune tomatoes the week prior so joining him in the caterpillar tunnel seemed perfect. The strong aroma of the tomatoes and heat which is sealed into the covered area of the farm create what Koron calls the “natural sauna”. The tomatoes thrive in the heat which is another key for their health and prosperity that Koron pointed out. The meatier and bigger tomato varieties which grow outside of the tunnel are far shorter plants and are growing at a significantly slower pace compared to the many varieties that grow in humid and hot environments. While pruning we learned how to identify the “suckers” of the tomato plant, why the plant doesn’t need them, and how to take them off. Learning more about the tomatoes and being in an intimate space with them has helped me understand the plants and their fruits better– not to mention we sure did get to snack while pruning!
Oko Farms in Williamsburg, Brooklyn was such a fun mid-week visit. Yemi (the farm manager) and her entire team were very welcoming of Sammi, Kwesi, and me into space, and they had no issue with answering our dozens of questions! We had the opportunity to look around the entire farm and get a feel for their unique outdoor aquaponics operation before trying our hand at transplanting some mint plants into the floating boards! The entire design of the site speaks to the adaptability, creativity and resourcefulness urban farmers must have no matter the circumstances. I feel so lucky to have already visited and met the remarkable folks behind five amazing urban farms, and I can’t wait to meet more!
