It was built to save us from food crises, which is why DeProducers decided to celebrate the Global Seed Vault, in the Norwegian Svalbard archipelago, with a music video. And to remind us that it may be under threat.
The DeProducers, a music collective that conceives science as poetry, decided to perform in front of the Global Seed Vault to raise public awareness of the importance of preserving plant species. "We are convinced that one of art's tasks is to shine a spotlight on positive actions. The international seed repository is a place unknown to most people, yet fundamental to the survival of life on the planet," agree the band's members – Vittorio Cosma (collaborator of Elio e le storie tese), Riccardo Sinigallia (formerly producer of Tiromancino), Gianni Maroccolo (founding member of Litfiba) and Max Casacci (founder of Subsonica).
"We simply played what came out of our frozen instruments connected to small battery-powered amplifiers." The track is part of the album Botanica, made in collaboration with Italian neurobiologist Stefano Mancuso, who has demonstrated that plants are intelligent creatures, and with the company Aboca, which sells plant-based products for health and wellbeing.
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https://youtu.be/4nZCra3WjNA"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=sRudUWG7e7A&has_verified=1
It has been described as "the Noah's Ark of biodiversity" and the vault of plant life on Earth: the Global Seed Vault is the world's largest seed repository and is located on the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen, in the Svalbard archipelago. Here the seeds of the most important plant species on the planet are preserved, including rice, maize, wheat, cassava, potatoes, apples and coconuts; there are currently 890,000 samples. The aim is to preserve their genetic heritage and to guarantee the survival of human beings in the event of a global food crisis. In 2016, for example, Syria requested the withdrawal of certain seeds to restore resources destroyed during the civil war.
The building is designed to withstand even a potential nuclear war: it was constructed inside a mountain, with thick steel doors covered in ice and reinforced concrete walls. And yet, something has proved capable of posing a threat: the effects of climate change. The terrain of the Svalbard Islands is characterised by the presence of permafrost, a permanently frozen layer typical of Arctic regions.
However, 2016 was the warmest year on record and temperatures rose even in the coldest regions: this caused partial melting of the permafrost and heavy rainfall instead of snowfall, to the point where water managed to seep into the Global Seed Vault. Fortunately, it turned to ice before reaching the seeds, which suffered no damage. There are fears, however, that the consequences could be far more severe should the ground give way.
The repository is nonetheless reliable. "Even if all the ice in the world were to melt and the greatest tsunami in history were to occur right in front of the Global Seed Vault," the building would still remain well above sea level: "it might not be easy to reach, but the seeds would be safe," assured Cary Fowler, who is committed to preserving the genetic diversity of seeds. We need not worry, but it is nonetheless ironic that the vault is threatened by the very same dangers that could lead us to need to withdraw the seeds: drought, flooding — which are effects of climate change and deprive people of food resources.
The Global Seed Vault was built with the future in mind; in the same way, we must act today to reduce pollution and protect the planet for generations to come. The DeProducers, by contrast, improvised their song, allowing the beauty of the surrounding landscape and the significance of the place to inspire them.