Seeds of Dispersion

2010

with SPURSE

SPURSE’s “Engines of Dispersal: Seeding the Premises” (2010) begins with the now globally ubiquitous apple seed. Each apple seed holds within itself a unique and individual possibility of forming a new apple species. It is a pure difference engine, as each seed’s genetic material is a full variation from its source tree. To maintain the continuity of a variety, the apple tree is held in a static relationship with the farmer via grafting and cloning. We entangle with these cross-species alliances every time we eat an apple. To allow a seed to propagate is to invite emergent farmers, both human and non-human, to participate in the experimentation of that seed’s potential fruiting.

This project takes the form of mundane everyday apple-seed distribution systems: bars of soap, building mortar and plaster, earth to add to puddles. These materials are for distribution from the gallery. With the possibility of germination, we are entangled into a broad future of relations — ecological diversity, management practices, genetic variation, stewardship, habitat recomposition, and economic diversity.