WILDFLOWER SEED BOMBS

When it comes to distributing the methodology booklets I want to also include a seed bomb attached to the back of the booklet. This can be used in the offering section of the methodology. So when the practicer is out practicing the methodology in the field, they can spread these seeds to give back to the more-than-human. These seeds will be native uk wildflower seeds provided by my partner who work on a wildflower seed farm. This farm aligns with my ethics in sustainablitlgy. I will be using native wildflower seeds because because they increase biodiversity, they act as a home and resources for a variety of insects, they are good for pollinators, they also create habitat not just for insects but for hares ground nesting birds etc.

For the presentation I will be handing out my own seed bombs that I have made. This is a way of offering back to the more-than-human, as these seeds promote biodiversity on many levels. I also like the idea of gifting. this class distribution is also an encouragement for people to trial out the methodology and provide me with feedback, encourigng them to get out of intense built up city spaces and explore local parks/ grass open lands. This gifting of the seeds allows the methodology to live on in something beneficial for the local habitat. The flowers encourage curiosity, something that the writer Robin Wall Kimmer advocates for. She writes about gifting and and exchange with the more-than-human. Her idea of gifting is a tree giving berries for example. These verifiers invite curiosity and engagement with the more-than-human. Much like the wildflowers, as they grow they entice engagement with the land as people always love to look at flowers.

I have been trialing different sustainable methods of packaging the wildflower seeds. Much like my booklet I will be using paper folding techniques that need no binding agent. The paper I will use will aim to be as sustainable as possible.

Here is my 1st trial following a YouTube video.

The paper I have used comes from Dope magazine. A magazine I frequently buy off of my local seller. Dope magazine’s aim is to give out free magazines to homeless people, asylum seekers and anyone in need. These people then sell these magazines and keep all of the profit. Normally they money goes towards accommodation food and drink. The majority of their paper is already recycled paper but this is not guaranteed. This is just a trial using this paper until I find another sustainable option. The paper is also quite flimsy so I may need to find a thicker alternative.

This is how the packet looks when it if folded up. These fold should all be secure so no seeds can escape. Unfortunately it turned out that the magazine wasn’t perfectly square so the folds did not match – I tired to make it square and refolded it but I will have to be more precise next time.

In this middle section is where the seeds will be, once you unfold it it can be folded back up again.

Here are more experiments :

For this trial I used card paper that I found at a charity shop:

The dimensions of the paper were slightly off so the folds didn’t fit as well as they should have and the end pocket wasn’t as tight as it should have been.

Here is my next trial:

After becoming more precise with my folds I then made a series of seed bombs to be handed out at my presentation to the class. I will also be using one of these seed bomb packets as a submission to go along with my booklet. I use the rest of the paper I had from my Dope magazine to be as sustainable as I could.

This is the seed inside the pockets :