I am seeking support for “Punk Shot” which will turn the sound waves from local punk music into healthy wheatgrass shots. I propose to invite 10 DC punk bands to play at Hamiltonian—an art gallery in the historic U Street—as part of my exhibition which opens on August 13th to September 10th, 2016. The shows will not only open DC punk culture to a broad audience on U Street, but will also help test the scientific theory that punk music helps plants grow. Over the duration of the exhibition, we will grow wheatgrass plants, while all visitors are invited to take a free shot of nutritious wheatgrass infused with the energy of DC punk music and its culture. Ultimately, the project will energize the wider DC community.

Hamiltonian Gallery will be transformed into a garage-like greenhouse and music venue. We will build a structure where eighty pots of wheatgrass will grow along the interior, resulting in up to 160 shots of wheatgrass offered weekly. Accompanying the wheatgrass, a series of free punk shows will be hosted to cultivate new audiences and enrich the plants. The shows will occur approximately four times over the course of the exhibition and will be free and open to all ages.

Photosynthesis helps to explain how punk music helps plants to grow. Sound waves coupled with the increased exhalation of carbon dioxide from the showgoers circulate air around the plants. In return, the plants accelerate the production of oxygen for the punk celebration. The two not only coexist, but form a mutually beneficial ecosystem which extends to our everyday life.

Wheatgrass and punk culture share intensity, youth, and raw energy. Drawing from the idiosyncratic ecosystem between plants and music, “Punk Shot” highlights the rich history of the local DC punk scene. Simultaneously, we inclusively energize the wider DC community as they partake in the holistic benefits of this communal wheatgrass shot.