Fynbos Abstracted: An Exploration of Houseplants from South Africa’s Floral Kingdom

The South African fynbos is an ecology like no other. It is the most floristically diverse ecosystem on the planet and is dependent on fire for renewal. Many common houseplants are endemic to this extraordinary South African shrubland, including string of bananas, asparagus fern, pencil cactus, aloe, pelargoniums, heather, African daisies, and amaryllis. While these species are widely available at garden centers, they are rarely planted together indoors. This type of specimen-driven planting—one plant per pot—removes interdependencies that sustain plant health in the wild. This project contends that we can become better stewards of indoor plants by integrating the mechanics of their native ecologies into the design of the armature, soil, and plant palette. Using field research conducted at the De Hoop Nature Reserve as the basis of design, this project aims to create indoor armatures for three plant communities– limestone, sandstone, and granite–tied to soil type. Through these imaginative displays, we can connect viewers to the extraordinary complexity of the fynbos, a globally threatened environment, and to the plants in their own homes.

Fynbos Abstracted opens on Thursday, May 8th.

Please join us and the artist for a reception from 4:00pm-7:00pm on Saturday, May 17th, which is free and open to the public.

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Artist Bio

Cali is the founding principal of Studio Campo. She has a passion for plants, construction, and big-picture thinking. She is a graduate of Harvard's Graduate School of Design, PUC Rio de Janeiro, and Brown University. Cali was previously an Associate at Public Architecture and Design Workshop. She has a background in design writing and publishing, including work for Metropolis Books and Next City. Her work has received wide coverage, including national awards in Planning, Communications, and Research from the American Society of Landscape Architects and editorial features in Travel + Leisure, Monocle, House Beautiful, Country Living, and Landscape Architecture Magazine. Cali is Creative Director of the sustainable vineyard, winery, and working farm, Left Coast Estate, which her family runs in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. The estate is the Oregon field office of Studio Campo and acts as a proving grounds for experimental planting design and ecological restoration. Cali is licensed as a landscape architect in Oregon and Colorado, and certified nationally as an urban planner.

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‍Public Hours:

Thursdays through Sundays, 12:00pm – 6:00pm May 8- June 8, 2025

Reception: Saturday, May 17, 2025.  Free and Open to the Public!

Understudy is free-to-visit and open to all. We are located at the Colorado Convention Center / Theatre District light rail stop near 14th and Stout. Look for the blue art bench.