Sharon Bladholm

Seed Rain: Seed Bank depicts over 65 species of seeds on an enlarged scale, including over 140 individual ceramic seeds of both tropical and temperate plants in ceramic, inviting appreciation of their amazing forms and color. This in turn provokes viewers to think about the importance of seeds, seed dispersal methods, seed banks, and seed diversity. This quiet rain that is indeed pouring down around us gives rise to a verdure that supports all life on earth. The seeds are suspended with twine and fish line, additional seeds lay below the seed strings to represent Seed Banks. Seed Rain was inspired by restoration biologist Karen Holl’s lecture that mentioned the important phenomena of seed dispersal by birds, wind, humans and animals. Seed Bank was inspired by Charles Darwin’s quote, who once said he “sprouted 537 seeds from 3 tablespoons of pond muck, all contained in a breakfast cup.”

After reading this I decided to include seed banks as part of the installation, which raises important questions about natural seeds banks, in which seeds wait in the earth for the perfect moment to sprout, habitat conservation and restoration, plus facilities such as the Svalbard Global Seed Bank. Natural and seed ban facilities will have even more critical importance with shrinking habitats as a vital resource to sustain and restore ecosystems Loss of habitats will continue to exacerbate unhealthy human and animal contact that can foment a pandemic. A One Health approach that equally considers healthy environments, plus human and animal health can stop deadly spill over of disease from animals to humans and prevent future pandemics. Now is the time for governments to plan for a safer future by implementing policies that focus on upstream potential for zoonotic disease such as microbial surveillance of animals and vaccines for domesticated animals. Equally important is reducing deforestation and human activities that destroy wildlife habitats thus limiting human to animal contact that can cause microbial transmission. If we have made such extreme adjustments so swiftly in reaction to the pandemic, what other radical change can we make? Phytotherapeutic herb filled brains release volatile healing oils into the air, helping heal our pandemic weary brains and providing a positive spin on every breath we take. Breathe deep.