Seeds
Date:
2016
Ref:
5575
Materials:
23 Murano glass seeds accompanied by a UTM certificate of moral ownership Perpetual Amazonia
Dimensions:
Plinth 350 x 200 x 60 cm
Exhibition history:
2023 Harewood House, Leeds, UK; 2016 City Art Museum and Gallery, Peterborough, UK
Courtesy:
Lucy + Jorge Orta
The installation Seeds is composed of twenty-three unique hand-blown Murano glass objects that represent varieties of seeds and pollen. These larger-than-life fragile specimens are framed by intricate watercolour drawings of each of the species. The ensemble presents a metaphorical seed bank that magnifies the beauty of the natural world, which is barely perceptible to the human eye. The artists have partaken in two scientific expeditions to the Amazon rainforest, to work along scientists and to observe first-hand the diversity and fragility of these environments, now endangered by deforestation and climate change. Prevalent in the artists' body of work Amazoniais the act of preserving varieties that may be threatened with extinction, and the drawings, objects and sculptures bear witness to their engagement.