bureau marije van der park + latu: kaskast

concept sketch for ‘kaskat’ (‘greenhouse cabinet’), designed by bureau marije van der park and latu

a kind of living curios cabinet created by bureau marije van der park and latu, ‘kaskat’ (‘greenhouse cabinet’) encourages viewers to observe and think about the life and workings of edible plants.

housed in red clay pots, brussel sprouts, mushrooms, herbs, and other vegetables grow within the cabinet’s walls, easily viewable from a number of angles. the designers included plants in various stages of development, from seed to harvest-ready, to offer a sense of the entire life cycle of the organisms.

full view of ‘kaskast’

the cabinet itself is composed of a salvaged china cabinet, scrap industry steel, old greenhouse glass, and used oak. its proportions are based upon fibonacci numbers, a mathematical series that occurs frequently in the natural world, lending natural balance to the piece.

the plants were collected from local residents who grow their own food, and the mushrooms from edwin flores of casa foresta.

detail view

early structural rendering of the design