125 Jewel-Colored Mini-Greenhouses Spring up in Philadelphia

We've seen <a href="http://inhabitat.com/veggies-in-space-nasa-to-test-mini-greenhouses-aboard-rockets/">greenhouses tested in space</a> and mini-gardens on the streets of Paris,</a> but <a href="http://jennysabin.com/">Jenny Sabin's</a> 125 mini-greenhouses are pure expressions of jewel-colored eco-art. The Cornell University designer's unconventional Greenhouse &amp; Cabinet of Future Fossils is slated to open this Friday at the <a href="http://www.apsmuseum.org/greenhouse/">American Philosophical Society Museum</a> in Philadelphia as part of an exhibition entitled "Of Elephants &amp; Roses: Encounters with French Natural History." The rainbow-hued hotbox is a digitally-designed collection of pastel mini-greenhouses <a href="http://inhabitat.com/mexicos-le-porc-shop-turns-drab-recycled-materials-into-dynamic-furniture/">made entirely out of recycled and recyclable materials</a>. The project draws attention to two different kinds of scientists that emerged from post-revolutionary France: the intrepid explorer and the nerdy lab scientist.

Jenny Sabin's greenhouse collection is the centerpiece of an APS Museum exhibition opening this weekend - 9/9/2011

The exhibit calls attention to post-revolutionary French naturalists - the explorer and the lab scientist

As such, Jenny created an exhibit that is at once open (explorer) and closed (lab)

Except all of the materials she uses are either recycled or recyclable

And her exhibit is more than just a talking piece

Featuring 125 portable mini-greenhouses

She has produced real food and real greenhouses that can be installed in city homes for winter gardening

The exhibit will be on show through 12/3/2011