Saturday, January 5, 2013

May the seeds you've planted bring forth abundance in 2013!

Allocasuarina duncanii germinating on 1% Agar at the Tasmanian Seed Conservation Centre. Allocasuarina do not shed seeds but winged fruits called samara. These usually contain a single seed but occasionally you get two sprouting from a single fruit.

Allocasuarina duncanii twins by Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens on Flickr

what seeds have you planted for 2013?

I've been reflecting hugely on my work on the 'homage to the seed' project as 2012 came to an end and 2013 begins to unfold. Its a project of many parts really. First and foremost I draw, paint and make work out of the musing and research I do on seeds.

Ive been writing about this and weighing up my direction and projects within the project. More on this in posts to come!

On a different tangent I've been following the Agricultural Biodiversity Weblog for some time, recently posting on their work. Scanning their blog tonight I found articles I wish to share... and this statement under "about" first-off.

"Separated by half a world but united by their passion for agricultural biodiversity and the internet, Luigi Guarino and Jeremy Cherfas decided to create a space that would allow them to indulge their passions and maybe do some good. This blog is it.

Our aim is to collect in one place anything we find on the internet that relates somehow to the notion of agricultural biodiversity (or agrobiodiversity, though we don’t particularly like the word), a big tent but one that the whole of humanity shelters beneath. If that helps others to find things of interest, so much the better."

I noted this new year's resolution at their blog:

New Year Resolution No. 8: Disengage from the whole are-GMOs-good-or-bad? thing. It’s the wrong question, and nobody is listening anyhow.

That took me to the Nature Education KNOWLEDGE PROJECT:

History of Agricultural Biotechnology: How Crop Development has Evolved

Citation: Wieczorek, A. M. & Wright, M. G. (2012) History of Agricultural Biotechnology: How Crop Development has Evolved. Nature Education Knowledge 3(10):9

Soil: The Foundation of Agriculture

By: Sanjai J. Parikh (Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, University of California, Davis) & Bruce R. James (Department of Environmental Science and Technology, University of Maryland, College Park.) © 2012 Nature Education

Citation: Parikh, S. J. & James, B. R. (2012) Soil: The Foundation of Agriculture. Nature Education Knowledge 3(10):2

| Lead Editor: Sanjai J. Parikh

SOIL, AGRICULTURE, AND AGRICULTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY

Sustainable Agriculture

By: Brodt Sonja (UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program and Agricultural Sustainability Institute), Six Johan (Department of Plant Sciences, UC), Feenstra Gail (UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program and Agricultural Sustainability Institute), Ingels Chuck (University of California Cooperative Extension, Sacramento County) & Campbell David (Department of Human and Community Development, UC) © 2011 Nature Education

Citation: Brodt, S., Six, J., Feenstra, G., Ingels, C. & Campbell, D. (2011) Sustainable Agriculture. Nature Education Knowledge 3(10):1

There's some serious reading in those links... and important things to consider!

I'll finish with this pdf I put together from photos taken straight from the TV screening of David Attenborough's Kingdom of Plants in November last year of ABC TV. Its a 3-part series and during the final show there was a brief overview of the Kew Garden's Millennium Seedbank Partnership.

I was excited to see Attenborough tell the story of a plant I had been fascinated by in the greenhouse during my three week residency in 2011 onsite at the Seedbank.

Also filmed was Wolfgang Stuppy who'd been my contact person at the MSB. As a seed morphologist he is often called on to talk about the work being done onsite and to explain the world of seeds.

New posts at my Visual Eclectica blog and Studio Archives blog refer to early 2013 plans... its off to a very busy start in terms of prep for an exhibition and other projects to come whilst also traversing a major life change involving selling a home and finding a new residence.

If I'm a bit absent from the blogs in the coming months you'll know why!

cheerio till next time!
Sophie

9 comments:

Rosaria Williams said...: Happy new trails to you, Sophie! Keep up your search!; January 5, 2013 at 3:12 AM
ronnie said...: love that first seedy pic .... and good luck with all the irons in the fire this year - its going to be a busy year for all of us methinks! xx; January 5, 2013 at 6:26 AM
Sophie Munns said...: Hello Rosaria and Ronnie...

great to hear form you both... avid farmer/gardeners that I know you are!

Wishing you a good harvest in 2013 ...think it will be a busy one all round Ronnie!
S; January 5, 2013 at 9:37 AM
Carole Reid said...: You are such a busy girl, Sophie! I am happy for you. So much to look forward to reading next time. xo Carole; January 5, 2013 at 4:10 PM
Sophie Munns said...: Hi Carole,
hoping you get a parcel in the mail any day now!
Happy New Year!
S xo; January 5, 2013 at 4:37 PM
Carole Reid said...: It's here! Oh it's wonderful and makes great bedtime viewing! thank you! xo; January 6, 2013 at 4:35 PM
Sophie Munns said...: Hurray! So pleased the parcel made it to Vancouver in one piece Carole and you can get more of a glimpse into things down here!
Good reading... that book was a month in the making and two weeks getting it print ready... so with that deadline you will understand any I made a awkward spelling mistake... see groucho's last name!
Oh dear!
best,
Sx; January 7, 2013 at 1:16 AM
Priya Sebastian said...: I keep coming back to your blog to read parts of posts. While every one of the quotes in 10 words that change the World is pertinent, I find Vandana Shiva's words very powerful and haunting. How much we've corrupted something as sacred as a seed.
I will visit Brisbane again one day Sophie. It is a promise I've kept to myself. I really look forward to meeting you and being enriched by all that you will have to show me.; January 16, 2013 at 9:21 PM
Sophie Munns said...: I shall look forward very much to your visit some day Priya!
You are right about the words of Vandana Shiva... her passion and endless effort seem to know no bounds and she always reminds of what is at stake.... haunting indeed!
Thanks for your kind words. I love to visit your world and notice what you are thinking about... always i leave touched by something special that you have shared.

May 2013 shine on you!
S; January 16, 2013 at 10:19 PM

WELCOME TO HOMAGE TO THE SEED WEB-LOG ... COMMENCED IN FEBRUARY 2010 BY VISUAL ARTIST SOPHIE MUNNS!

HOMAGE TO THE SEED was launched by Sophie Munns for the 2010 Brisbane Botanic Gardens Artist-In-Residency program at Mt Coot-tha, Brisbane. The residency focused on our extraordinary regional and global Seed heritage - the critical work of seed conservation and the future of seeds - coinciding with the 2010 International Year of Biodiversity.

This project is continuing in 2013. Pop over to the website for an overview of this project. Contributions of articles, comments and inquiries are most welcome!

Sophie Munns

Blog header image: May, 2014 Residency at PLANTBANK, NSW Australia

READ ABOUT THE END OF YEAR EVENT ON THE RESIDENCY CALENDER FOR 2010

The Residency concluded with 'Homage to the Seed' - an exhibition of works produced over the course of 2010. It was held at the Herbarium at Brisbane Botanic Gardens on the first weekend of December.

To read more about the final event on the 2010 Residency calendar click here (website) and here at this blog..

An artist's 68 page book was produced to document the year's work. Available for $40 plus postage. Only a few copies left (as of March 2014)

Hear Sophie Munns on local ABC Radio Nov, 2010 interveiwed by Phil Smith.

THIS PROJECT HAS BEEN GOING SINCE FEB 2010 ... A NEW BOOK IS UNDERWAY ( MARCH 2014) !!

KEW GARDENS MILLENNIUM SEED BANK PROJECT

The Millennium Seed Bank Project (MSBP) is the largest ex-situ conservation project ever conceived. Its partners willl have banked seed from 10% of the world's wild plant species by the end of the decade. These will not just be any plants, but will include the rarest, most threatened species known to man. Read more about Kew's preservation project

kew.org website.

'Seeds for Life', the Qld chapter of the Millennium Seedbank Partnership, is based at the Seed Lab on the grounds of Brisbane Botanic Gardens at Mt Coot-tha.

UNITED NATIONS INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF BIODIVERSITY 2010

International Year of Biodiversity officially launched

on 11 January 2010 in Berlin.

Press release from Bioversity International

With the official launch of the International Year of Biodiversity scheduled for 11 January 2010 in Berlin, Germany, Emile Frison, the Director General of Bioversity International, warns that there is much more to biodiversity than whales and panda bears.

“Any discussion of biodiversity conservation needs to remember that the diversity of crops and livestock is absolutely fundamental to human survival and well-being,” Frison said. “Agricultural biodiversity is not only vital for nutrition, it is also indispensable in meeting the challenges of climate change and in lifting poor people out of poverty.”

For too long, conservationists have tended to view farmers and farming as the enemy. While in many cases that may be true, the International Year of Biodiversity offers a great opportunity to work towards more productive food systems based on biodiversity and a more ecological approach to agriculture.

“Increased productivity so far has been based on simplifying farming systems,” Frison noted. “We need to move beyond that to intensification without simplification, and that requires us to research, understand and make better use of agricultural biodiversity.”

Bioversity research has shown how neglected and under-utilized species can deliver better nutrition and health, at the same time protecting the environment and increasing incomes. It is also pinpointing the impact of predicted changes in climate on crops and suggesting new sources of material that will help farmers adapt to new weather patterns.

ART SCIENCE COLLABORATION

Collaboration between the arts and sciences has the potential to create new knowledge,ideas and processes beneficial to both fields. Artists and scientists approach creativity, exploration and research in different ways and from different perspectives; when working together they open up new ways of seeing, experiencing and interpreting the world around us.

For the past decade,the Australian Network for Art & Technology (ANAT) has provided opportunities for artists and scientists to work together. Our most recent projects, delivered under the Synapse brand in partnership with the Australia Council for the Arts, include residencies, the Synapse database and a moderated elist.

Click here to view profiles of artists on this site and for further information.

HERITAGE SEED SAVING

Tip 1. 'Who's your daddy?' explains the relevance of discovering whether your parent plant is a hybrid, heirloom or open-pollinated variety.

If you are not sure why this is so critical then dont be shy about asking or seeking advice, wherever you live on this globe of ours. Lately quite a few people have told me of their astonishment at finding something they had gone to the trouble of saving and planting much later had turned out to be hybridised and incapable of reproducing.

Once we've had this frustrating experience the eagerness to understand what is now happening with seeds is awakened - which is a very positive thing.

Tip 2: become a mad scientist. Know your plant's specific name.

On a March 8 post titled ' The archeology of the everyday' I added links to a number of Australian Seed Saving organisations and places to find heritage seeds.

At the side-bar on the right-hand side down towards the end I have listed websites and blogs you can visit. This will be updated from time to time. Also check the titles of the blog archive for other related posts.

The Australian organisation Seedsavers which started in Byron Bay has a blog with excellent links here to films, books, local seed networks, permaculture, and news.

To read about their account of starting Seed savers click here.

Brisbane Seed Savers

A Local Seed Network (LSN) that has joined with many others who are actively conserving our heritage open pollinated seeds.

I found this network through Brisbane Local Food which I have just joined after reading about them at Transition Towns.

Brisbane Local Food - growing local in subtropical Australia is an active community that holds open days, exchange info, seeds, plants. recipes and help and keep connected to what's going on in this realm beyond their own backyards...

I have just been reading about the LOGAN COMMUNITY GARDEN with an African flavour here:

The land, roughly 20m x more than 50m, is donated by Griffith University right along the Logan Motorway, certainly not small by comparison to other community farms in Brissy. There're quite a few facilities donated and hand-built by the volunteers including toilets, wash-up area, a traditional African Hut, children's playground, lockable 20 foot container to store tools and a shaded area with work benches. Water is managed by the council and pumped in from a nearby lake.

From THE GARDEN DIGEST on SEEDS

One for the rock, one for the crow,
One to die, and one to grow.
- English saying
"I don't believe the half I hear,
Nor the quarter of what I see!
But I have one faith, sublime and true,
That nothing can shake or slay;
Each spring I firmly believe anew
All the seed catalogues say!"
- Carolyn Wells
Whether you tend a garden or not, you are the gardener of your own being,
the seed of your destiny.
- The Findhorn Community
The love of gardening is a seed that once sown never dies.- Gertrude Jekyll
Though I do not believe that a plant will spring up where no seed has
been, I have great faith in a seed. Convince me that you have a seed
there, and I am prepared to expect wonders.
- Henry David Thoreau
Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant.
- Robert Louis Stevenson
dry seeds scatter
from my hand into the wind
one clings
as if to say there is in me
something yet to be
- Jeanne Emrich, Haiga Online

I ask not for a larger garden,
but for finer seeds.
- Russell H.Conwell
There is a way to see inside
By looking directly through
to seed or marrow

Within the bone vessel
a world is made
Red and milkweed
it flows between us like
wind

Within the seed's case
a secret is held
Its fertile whisper
shapes a song
- Joan Halifax, Marrow
Think of the fierce energy concentrated in an acorn!
You bury it in the ground, and it explodes into an oak!
Bury a sheep, and nothing happens but decay.
- George Bernard Shaw
The seed cannot sprout upwards without simultaneously sending roots into the ground.

The seed includes all the possibilities of the tree. ... The seed will develop these
possibilities, however, only if it receives corresponding energies from the sky.

Grain must return to the earth, die, and decompose for new growth to begin.
- Ancient Egyptian Proverbs
He places a seed in the dust for the reason
That it may in the day of distress, give fruit.
- Sadi

Poetry is like a free bird that knows no boundary, like seeds
that are carried along by the wind, that grow, bloom and bear
fruit where they find good soil without
asking anyone's permission.
- Ion Codrescu

The word "miracle" aptly describes a seed.
- Jack Kramer
All seed answer light, but the color is different.
The plant reveals what is in the seed.
- Ancient Egyptian Proverbs

Think small.
Planting tiny seeds in the small space given you
Can change the whole world or,
At the very least, your view of it.
- Linus Mundy
to read more click
Quotes for Gardeners
A Collection Growing to Over 3,300 Quotes Arranged by 135 Topics
Quotes, Sayings, Proverbs, Poetry, Maxims, Quips, Cliches, Wisdom
Compiled by Michael P. Garofalo
Thanks to Nicki Laws for sending this link to the Homage Blog!