The Modern Forager

Have you ever wandered around the forest and asked yourself if this or that berry was edible? The Forager allows you to easily analyse anything, giving the user basic information about what it is and whether or not is edible. Besides, it allows them to storage a handful products, enough for a nutritious meal. However, and aligned with thee less extractive values imbued in this project, the reduced size of the storage unit sends a clear message to the user: be mindful of what you take and take only what you need.

The forager allows to easily analyse anything,

giving the user basic information about what it is

and whether or not is edible

remove the lid

place the item

in the central compartment

put the lid

back on

the light ring will flicker

and then identify the item

Through the stories of five seeds crucial to humanity, each “seedbill” tells a story of solidarity, race, the climate crisis, or indigenous knowledge: from how rice was able to boost societies based on cooperation, to how fonio can help us fight climate change and poverty. Again, we want to show how all the stories behind seeds are intertwined, using money as the common thread in each and every one of them.

Nowadays, rice is a staple food worldwide, especially in Asia. However, it was not always the case. Hundreds of years ago, rice, and the abundance and longevity that characterized this tiny seed, led people in Asia to use it as a currency: it was the way citizens would pay taxes and even how the samurai were paid. Over time, this situation led to the creation of the first banking systems in different areas of Asia, such as Japan and Korea.

However, the history of this seed has multiple facets. Unlike other cereals, such as wheat or barley, rice cultivation demands collective cooperation to succeed. From start to finish, the entire process requires the effort of several people working in close collaboration: from building the terraces on which it is cultivated, to sharing and managing water, planting and harvesting.

After thousands of years of rice cultivation, this seed has shaped cultures. “Rice societies” are characterized by a common mentality, where a more collective and collaborative mindset starkly contrast with Western, more individualistic, “wheat societies”. (Thomas Talhelm, The Rice Theory of Culture, 2022). Rice teaches us cooperation, reciprocity and care for what belongs to everyone. Rice is a symbol of solidarity among people.

The Gamilaraay word ‘Dhunbarrbila’ means ‘edible seeds’ or ‘grains of a place’ (similar to ‘grain crop’ in English). This set of more than 600 native grasses from the Australian continent have been used (and is still used) as food and medicine for thousands of years. Some of the most important ones are Mitchell Grass, native millet and Kangaroo Grass, among others. 

Their steady evolution and selection over time allowed Dhunbarrbila to perfectly adapt to the harsh ecosystem to which they belong, without any fertilizers, pesticides or irrigation. In harmony with the environment, these seeds allowed Indigenous people to bake what is believed to be the world’s first bread, over 30,000 years ago. Also, it has been proven that they equal the nutritional properties of other cereals.

However, with the British colonization of the continent, these grasses were displaced by crops that are less adapted and require greater amounts of water and fertilizers, such as wheat or maize. In addition, the monocultures and livestock brought from Europe destroyed the original ecosystems and the soil, taking with them much of the aboriginal culture and traditions. Today, different initiatives and social enterprises, such as Black Duck Foods, are trying to bring to the global market these ancient seeds full of hope that carry with them the ancestral wisdom of countless generations.

The history of wheat dates back more than 10,000 years, when it was first domesticated in the Fertile Crescent, present-day Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Iran and Iraq. Since then, this seed quickly spread throughout Asia and the Mediterranean, reaching over 35,000 varieties and becoming one of the most consumed cereals today.

However, this expansion did not always occur naturally. Economic interests and imperialist exploitation led to the imposition of wheat in regions of China, India, Australia and the United States, where they displaced local cereal varieties. More recently, in the 1960s, some countries were desperately trying to find a way to feed a population that was growing exponentially. As a solution, they selected and genetically modified a few varieties of wheat, achieving larger yields and higher profits. This phenomenon was known as the Green Revolution.

And although it did, in fact, feed a rapidly growing population, these changes came at the expense of biodiversity, lower nutritional properties, extinction of species, greater vulnerability of crops, and climate crises. Wheat teaches us how the greed of a hyper-capitalist system based solely on profit (which even patents seeds), endangers not only the biodiversity of our planet and our food security, but also our cultures and traditions.

Corn is the most cultivated cereal worldwide, with over 1.2 billion tons harvested in 2021 alone. This cereal was domesticated over 10,000 years ago by different American and Mesoamerican peoples. This plant was revered, and it was known as ‘The Seed of Seeds’ or ‘Mother of All Things,’ among other names. Corn was also part of a symbiotic relationship known by Native Americans as The Three Sisters. In it, corn, beans, and squash help each other grow in harmony and abundance more efficiently than they would separately.

Although more sustainable, the colonizers, who only sought profits, replaced this system with enormous monocultures. They regarded this harmonious system as underdeveloped and messy, and substituted it with rows and rows of crops that required large amounts of water and fertilizers that destroyed the soil but were easier to harvest. Additionally, they would further increase their profits by using slave labor. After capturing and dehumanizing millions of Africans, they were shipped as merchandise to America, where they were shaved to erase all traces of their culture and identity.

Soon, as small acts of rebellion, enslaved Africans used their hair (cornrows) to convey messages, draw maps of the fields to escape, and store seeds with which to start a new life. Despite everything, corn has become part of the African diaspora culture and is present in many Soul Food dishes. It is a symbol of fight and freedom.