Nucleus Vitae, core of life, nucleo della vita or Lebenskern is a Seed Calendar. This calendar is a way to not only draw attention to food waste and consumption but also provides you with a solution for a side waste product (the seeds) and a daily ritual (the placement of the seeds).

The hole concept evolved during the special situation of Covid-19, when people started buying massive amounts of food, including fresh fruits and vegetables but were not able to consume it before the rotting process started. As a consequence even more food was thrown away and we started thinking on how to turn this ending into a new beginning.

On the one hand there is the action of extracting, drying and placing the seeds every day into the little holes, which provides you with a daily structure during lockdown and makes you not loose track of time completely. Further it’s a way of thematising visibly the question of waste and its´ ending.

On the other hand seeds themselves are completely underrated starting with the fact that they survive for many thousands of years if conserved correctly.

Keeping this in mind we included the aspect of preserving our heritage, when we turn the calendar into a sort of time capsule at the moment all the holes are filled. Storing Nucleus Vitae in the basement or under the bed, future generations have the possibility to bring to live the past.

Nucleus Vitae is an attempt to give these tiny yet extraordinary seeds, us humans turned into a waste product, another ending than the kitchen bin. And this ending is not an ending at all. It is a new beginning.

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