I’ve always been fascinated with collecting, both the act itself (to collect) and the result (collection). I think deep down it’s at the heart of who we are as humans. It’s right there, in the label “hunter-gatherer.” Over time, collecting (much like hunting) has morphed from a necessity for survival into a leisurely pastime.
Despite my fascination, I was never a collector myself, save for a few quickly abandoned attempts in my childhood and early teens. The intensity of collecting doesn’t quite suit my tendency to hop from one hobby to another. So perhaps this might explain where my love of museums stems from, as the ultimate collectors of societal artifacts minus the necessity of taking it all upon one individual.
Which brings me to the most meta museum exhibition I’ve ever visited, Collectomania – a collection of collections curated by the Museum of Design in Zurich.
As a gardener, I was fascinated by this nineteenth century collection of seeds on loan from Agroscope, the Institute of Crop Sciences in Zurich. Old glass test capsules, ink labels written in elegant cursive script and a variety of plant seeds meant that I lingered around this collection the most.
The Swiss Seed Research and Experimental Institute started operations in 1878. And what started as the first federal agricultural experimental station in Switzerland became one of the few worldwide institutions that still are accredited for certifying seeds nowadays.
This early seed collection (obviously just of historical value at this point), ensured at the time that seed varieties could be kept pure and ready for germination. It also ensured enough seed was available for further development and research.
While I do think about planting seeds as a form of resistance and subversion (to consumerism, to the plastification of everything, to long and unsustainable food chains), I hardly think of them as politically-charged. But from a nation state perspective, institutional seed preservation can tip the balance towards either food security or food scarcity. Perhaps that’s why seeing an early example of a seed bank was such an eye-opening lesson.
Have a look at the trailer of the exhibition if you’re interested in catching a glimpse into the world of collecting.
