Seed Protocol - Dynamical Lunar Indigenous Time (DLITE) 43:28:22.0004124 #65

Collection

Seed Protocol - Dynamical Lunar Indigenous Time (DLITE) 43:28:22.0004124 by Amelia Winger-Bearskin

Creator

Amelia Winger-Bearskin

Description

Amelia Winger-Bearskin’s “Seed Protocol - Dynamical Lunar Indigenous Time (DLITE) 43:28:22.0004124” involves collectors in her ongoing artwork inspired by seeds and their caretakers. The NFT edition consists of an image of an identical pile of corn seeds that have been colored by the artist in 100 variations, wrapping the seeds in hand-drawn patterns. As still life, the seed piles imagine what the future seven generations of corn seeds might look like, suggesting textile and beading patterns or more alien mutations. Corn is one of the “three sisters” (corn, beans, and squash) according to the knowledge of the Haudenausaunee people. (Winger-Bearskin is an enrolled member of the Seneca-Cayuga Nation of Oklahoma, which is part of the Haudenosaunee confederacy.) The three sisters are grown together, giving nutrients, shade, and support. The “seven generations” concept reminds us that our current knowledge is built on that of the seven generations before us, and that we must make good decisions for our descendants seven generations in the future. Each of the seed pile variations has a unique DLITE (Dynamical Lunar Indigenous Time) number, riffing on the Terrestrial Dynamical Time that NASA uses as a timestamp for celestial voyages. The future that Winger-Bearskin imagines for seeds is inspired in equal parts by several sources: the celestial storytelling of the Seneca-Cayuga; NASA’s Project Artemis; as well as the work of her colleagues’ Robert Ferl and Anna-Lisa Paul, plant molecular biologists who lead a team focused on growing plants in space at the University of Florida Space Plant Lab. Along with the NFT, collectors receive a participation contract and access to the Seed Protocol website, asking them to contribute to the larger seed protocol project. They will receive regular updates on all online and in-person events related to Seed Protocol project 2023-2024. Collectors will also play an active role in shaping the project by agreeing to make contributions: engaging with a local seed bank or heirloom seed society in their area and uploading information about the organization to Amelia Winger-Bearskin’s Seed Bank Directory <em>or</em> engaging with one of the seed groups with whom the artist is working. [Please check your contract for your password.]