As part of my degree project I have been investigating the growth of wheat. In an earlier blog (Oct) I wrote about ploughing and farming as a metaphor for the seasons and life, a momento mori inspired by swaying barley fields. Last year I videoed the fields around my house, throughout the growing season and during the harvest. This work is influenced by some philosophical thinking around the ‘Event’ as described by Slavoj Žižek (2014) and Rancière’s book about Hungarian filmmaker Béla Tarr, who’s films deal with a time “of pure material events against which belief will be measured for as long as life will sustain it.”
I considered others who’ve used growing plants in their art such as Agnes Dene who planted a field in her work ‘Wheatfield’ (1982)
And Newton & Helen Harrison whose installation ‘Full Farm’ (1972) comprised raised beds.
Then there was Vong Phaophanit (the Turner Prize nominee) who created an installation of furrows of rice grain (1993) incorporating neon lights which caused the rice to warm, giving off an evocative aroma.
I also looked into the Svalbard Seed Vault in Norway, and the British NIAB seed archive.
Mariele Neudecker’s ‘Things Can Change in a Day’ (2001) was a series of installations that depict a dystopian future, a submerged landscape in an aquarium.
I wanted to hydroponically grow some wheat with the intention of incorporating it into my degree show as part of the life cycle. This element represented a future yet to come. I created some seed trays with drain holes, as they were hydroponic there was no soil. The grain required extensive washing and was left in a dark, warm place to germinate. When it was sprouting I transferred the grain into the prepared trays and watered them each day. I covered half with tin foil to prevent light from getting to the wheat, this helped to encourage stronger, taller growth, similar to forcing rhubarb. Both trays of wheat grew quickly at first, but after about 4 week the light exposed wheat started to yellow due to a lack of nutrients. I carried out further research and ordered supplements, as without soil the wheat couldn’t search for it’s own nutrients. The wheat “greened up” and continued to grow strongly for a further few weeks. However the wheat did not grow to full maturity as the process is not sustainable with the materials and resources at my disposal. Most people grow wheatgrass in this way to create the raw material for smoothies after 4 wks and I’d grown the wheat for 8 weeks, the tops started too wilt, the grain became mouldy and the wheat died.
However, even in this state the wheat had interest, although this was not the message I wanted to purvey. This was supposed to be about growth, future and life, and not another reminder of death!
This decision comes after forming a plan to grow the wheat to its optimum height in trays which I had already created out of zinc, trays that were to sit in the bottom of a framework cube I’d taken 4 weeks to create, utilising a hydroponic leaking pipe and pump system, with a waste water capture vessel, all of which I’d designed and already had purchased the materials for. However, I no longer think that this is as I’d wished, the trial highlighted a number of feasibility issues especially timing and the final look did not meet my objective, although interesting in its own way.
