Cell Project Space

The four leaf clover cloning project is an ongoing Yoke and Zoom art work. Since 1998 Yoke and Zoom have grown the plant 'Trifolium repens L', commonly known as white clover. Seed naturally propagates white clover, but Yoke and Zoom propagate by taking stem cuttings from the runners. This is commonly known as asexual reproduction or cloning. By isolating and "cloning" a genetically mutated plant theydiscovered that every cutting grown will at some point produce at least one four leaf clover, and at peak growth times up to 25% of the leaflets will be four or more. Yoke and Zoom have used this knowledge to breed four leaf clovers to be distributed to the public, via their website, mail art, installation and public interventions. There is an estimate that they have grown and distributed over 15,000 dried four and five leaf clovers.