The Order Of Potatoes
An enquiry into potato varieties that have become restricted for commercial circulation within the EU. Most of these old and new varieties are bred by farmers for small-scale use. They are genetically too diverse to meet EU’s regulations on Distinctiveness, Uniformity and Stability, the so-called DUS criteria, which have to be met in order to qualify for unrestricted commercial use. The potatoes are presented together with a related story about the cultural and historical context in which the varieties were bred. All-together, these marginalised varieties tell a story about how potatoes became regulated bodies. The survey ranges from 1587 (the earliest documentation of the potato in Europe after its introduction from the Americas), to 2010 (when farmer Karsten Ellenberg in Barum, Germany breeds new varieties for small-scale farmers, bypassing the industry’s need for DUS criteria).
The Order of Potatoes folder >>
Prinzessinnengarten, Berlin, Germany, summer of 2010 and onwards
The season of 2010, 15 different potato varieties were planted in cheap, plastic rice sacs in Prinzessinnengarten, a mobile garden project in Berlin, Germany. Together with info on the varieties, a chronological narrative on the organization of knowledge in breeding in Europe from 1587 to 2010 was presented on signs by the plantation. A shifting variety of farmer bred potatoes are continuously grown each season in the garden. more >>
The harvest in Prinzessinnengarten in 2010 was celebrated with a large fiest where 8 cooks made their favorite potato dishes out of the varieties’ different cooking qualities. more >>
Pandemonium, Gothenburg, Sweden, summer and fall 2011
Deep Green at Den Frie Udstillingsbygning, Copenhagen, Denmark, spring of 2009
An installation consisting of wooden EUR-pallets, sacks filled with 14 varieties of potato and paper bags printed with 14 different prints. Each bag had information about a potato variety on one side and a related narrative on the other. Visitors could fill the printed paper bags with potatoes and take them home to plant, cook or give away for further circulation. more >>
On Mobility, De Appel, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, summer of 2006
The harvesting and cooking event took place at the last day of the exhibition period. The event was organized by project coordinator Claud Biemans, slow food cook Sandor Sherfeli and artist Åsa Sonjasdotter.
On Mobility, Mucsarnok, Kunsthalle Budapest, spring 2006