Earthseed Dome

the vibe

Lily Kwong’s practice is deeply informed by the landscapes of the Bay Area, where she grew up among the redwood forests of Northern California. Long before her work took form as large-scale installations, her creative language was shaped by the rhythms and materials of the natural world—an influence that continues to guide her approach as an ecological artist. EARTHSEED DOME marks Kwong’s first installation in the Bay Area and her most ambitious work to date. Installed in Transamerica Redwood Park, it extends her practice into new material and technological territory. Developed in collaboration with a technology company pioneering 3D printing with organic materials, the work was constructed using two distinct methods: a large robotic arm printed the dome’s exterior structural forms, while a smaller machine created the interior seed-impregnated living soil. Fabrication began in January during San Francisco Art Week, with the dome emerging incrementally over several weeks. Visitors could witness this process both within a temporary onsite workshop and in situ in the park, foregrounding making as a central component of the work and situating advanced fabrication within a lineage of earth-based building practices. As with many complex, site-responsive projects, the work functioned as a sustained act of experimentation. Its significance lies in the convergence of technological innovation and Kwong’s deeply held commitment to ecological and human-centered methodologies. The final…