Action Threshold is a sculptural bouquet depicting pear branches inoculated with Erwinia amylovora, the bacterium that causes fire blight. The work arises from my experience as a laboratory technician in a plant pathology lab researching fire blight management in pear orchards.

The branches span phenological stages: white bud, full bloom, and fruitlet. Blossoms, a primary entry point for E. amylovora, appear alongside the diagnostic shepherd's crook. In Integrated Pest Management, an action threshold denotes the point at which predicted or observed damage warrants intervention. The sculpture preserves the moment when disease becomes legible and intervention is initiated.

Bouquets function as offerings that mark care, transition, and seasonal abundance. Here the form becomes an artifact shaped by seasonal cycles and continued intervention under sustained disease pressure. Subdued color and matte, calcified textures shift the sculpture from botanical diorama toward ritual objecthood. The work also regards Erwinia amylovora beyond orchard risk, acknowledging the bacterium as a living organism that co-produces form within pear tissue. The base loosely resembles a fallen pear mummy, the desiccated fruit that carries infection across seasons.