Earth, stones, sand, wood, bricks and whatever else was economically expedient was used as ballast to stabilize merchant sailing ships according to the weight of the cargo. Upon arrival in port, the ballast was unloaded, carrying with it seeds native to the area where the ballast had been picked up. These seeds may germinate and grow, potentially bearing witness to a far more complex narrative of world history than is usually presented by orthodox accounts. Although they have the potential to alter our notions of the identity of place as belonging to a defined bioregion, the historical importance of these seeds is rarely acknowledged. Seeds of Change is designed to question those discourses that define the geographical and ‘natural’ history of place: At what moment do seeds become ‘native’? What are the socio-political histories of place that determine the framework of belonging?

The botanist, Dr. Heli Jutila, writes: “Although seeds seem to be dead, they are in fact alive and can remain vital in soil for decades, and even hundreds of years in a state of dormancy.” Some of these seeds have already germinated; others, given the right conditions, still retain the potential to germinate.

During the Artefact festival, Maria Thereza Alves presented documentation and research material of previous iterations of Seeds of Change in the exhibition Parallel Crossings. In the heart of this presentation lay the promise of a ballast garden in the Groot Begijnhof in Leuven; a garden planted with ballast flora. Between May 24 and October 12, 2019, the visitor of the Groot Begijnhof can witness the blooming of these plants and flowers in a complex and historical spectacle that plays into Belgian colonial history and the history of the port of Antwerp.

Pictures © Joeri Thiry / STUK - House for Dance, Image & Sound