seeds in net (2004)

Seeds in net/Seed network was devised as a work in progress, being at the same time a collaborative project on social self-organisation, and an internet project. Involving collaboration between hackers, small farmers and artists, looked to maintain the free exchange of seeds in danger of extinction, a database as intranet including all the information of who, how and where those varieties are grown, as a virtual seed bank, was produced. Faced with a growing monopolisation of our resources and knowledge, these groups make use of new communication technology in order to cultivate both biodiversity and infodiversity. Making possible the encounter amongst those otherwise distant social groups, the allied as a whole propose new methods of auto-organisation connecting people, planting and screens. In this way, action is taken at the same time and under the same conditions both in the countryside (seedsavers network) and on our computer terminals.

This project was produced by Medialab Madrid for the exhibition Banquete in ( Conde Duque, Madrid, 2004) and by the Regina Gouger Miller Gallery for Groundworks : environmental collaborations in contemporary art ( Carnegie Mellon U. , Pittsburgh, 2005).

Activities included opening a debate titled "Patents on Life, patents on software: towards a model of biolinux", and a workshop on "Use and administration of the database and website created by "Seeds in net" both in MediaLabMadrid in Oct. 2004.

During the process of reflection and setting up of Seeds in net a number of common issues arose that provided bridges to groups that might otherwise seem to be far removed from each other, such as as hackers or free software activists and farmers. It was also the first collaboration that had arisen out of the concept of Ecohacking. The site offered an opportunity to exchange opinions, strategies, define the ideas and their ongoing development.

Software: Eric Van Buggenhaut, Anouk Deville, David Gutiérrez, Eva Coria
Seeds and materials: Cristina Ortega, Red de Semillas de la Plataforma Rural
Collaborator: ourproject.org (Vicente Ruiz)