In the Biodiversity Valley of Astino, in collaboration with the “Lorenzo Rota” Botanical Garden of Bergamo, Spanish artist Asunción Molinos Gordo (Aranda de Duero, 1979) will lead the participatory art workshop Crops Are Not Orphans. Starting from the seed archive held by the Botanical Garden, the project will collect and share the stories connected to the seeds, proposing a collective reflection on the concept of Seeds Kinship—the ability of seeds to create emotional bonds and nourish a sense of belonging.
The title refers to the term Orphan Crops, used by the scientific community to describe seeds considered insignificant for research or lacking ownership—standing in contrast to the idea of Seeds Kinship. For Molinos Gordo, however, seeds are deeply entwined with people’s life stories and carry emotional and relational value.
The workshop will involve ten participants from community gardens across the province of Bergamo. It will unfold over three working days in October and three more in January. At the end of the process, the artist will create a visual piece reflecting the collective work, to be exhibited in the museum’s spaces.
