SEED CARRIERS

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We publish new episodes and series at irregular intervals, following the rhythm of each project and the resources available to us.

Seeds As Time Capsules
SEED CARRIERS
Switzerland, Hungary, Austria
published in Summer 2024

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Episode 1
3 Parts
ca. 104 min

Episode 1 "Seeds As Time Capsules" begins with a basic description of seeds. What are these fascinating living entities we call “seeds” capable of, and how are they kept? This episode features perspectives from genbank scientist Boulos Chalhoub at the Swiss center for agricultural research Agroscope (Agroscope Changin), small-scale farmer and seed keeper József Hegyesi (Magház), and seed policy expert Katherine Dolan (Arche Noah). Critically examining conservation strategies for seeds, their intertwined domestication histories, ancestral and newly established practices of commoning, and the human-plant relationships seed keepers engage with, this episode is an introduction into the world of seeds.

Part 1: the potential of a seed
Ever wondered what a seed really is? These tiny living entities hold the blueprint of life, giving us food, fibers, and more. While gene banks preserve seeds, field and plate diversity has dwindled, with just a few crops controlled by big corporations. So where did all that diversity go — and why don’t we think about it when we toss an apple core?

Part 2: a garden full of diversity
In Hungary’s Great Plains, József Hegyesi tends an orchard with 65 fruit tree varieties — a haven of diversity in a sea of monocultures. He preserves seeds on-farm, shares them, and shows the careful work of letting fruits fully mature. But who really owns these seeds, and how do farmers like József keep them circulating?

Part 3: seed keeping is a political act
Humans and animals alike have shaped the domestication of plants — but what’s truly “wild” versus domesticated? In part three of Seeds As Time Capsules, we explore how crop diversity arose, the work of seed conservation, and why protecting seeds everywhere — not just in vaults — is vital.