Paper Seed Bomb logo, designed and printed by Hernandez.
Paper Seed Bomb Project
A community-involvement project for the My America Is Not Your America exhibition by Hector O. Hernandez, in collaboration with Studio 203 and with support from the Southern California Fibershed.
Mission Statement
This paper “seed bomb” project was developed to activate positive change through learning, dialogue, and introspection. Inspired by religious votive offerings*, and modeled after American coins, these seed bombs are meant to teach participants a new craft, and in the process have participants meditate and reflect, alone or with others, about our role in helping to move our society towards a positive, and equitable future for all.
-HOH
*Via Wikipedia, “A votive offering or votive deposit is one or more objects displayed or deposited, without the intention of recovery or use, in a sacred place for religious purposes. Such items are a feature of modern and ancient societies and are generally made in order to gain favor with supernatural forces.”
#myamerica #seedbombs #seedsofchange
Community Sharing
Different mold designs by Hernandez for the seed bombs.
Share this kit with family, friends, and neighbors to learn and connect with one another. Start conversations and, just like our Democracy, stay involved and continue to care and nurture for these plants!
We want to see your plants!
Send us progress photos of your seed bombs with family and friends, and we’ll feature them in the show and via monitor display! Share it on your profile and use these hashtags when posting: #myamerica #seedbombs #seedsofchange, or email them to hector@hectoromarhernandez.com
Hernadez’s Statement
I wanted the form of the seed bombs to reference American coins (with a Spanglish version of “E Pluribus Unum”) that would be buried, watered, and taken care of by the volunteers. The intention and action of the seed bombs reminded me of religious votive offerings - offerings in anticipation for a particular wish (or sometimes an offering made to a god or saint after a wish is fulfilled). The purpose of this project was a way to build connections with people and communities that would also serve as a way to protest or put our energy for positive change through a mixture of dialogue and introspection - with the introspection part coming as we take time to make the seed bombs and take care of the seeds as they slowly grow and bloom.
Progress Photos from the Community
Pop-Up Workshop at Woodbine Park
Thank you to our sponsor, Southern California Fibershed, who encourages community building and connections between textile artists, designers, fiber farmers, processing mills, suppliers, and retail businesses. They encourage a transparency that will empower wearers, farmers, artisans, and consumers to engage with and understand the soil-to-skin paradigm.
About Hector O. Hernandez
Hector O. Hernandez was born and raised in South LA by two Mexican-born parents. He grew up gravitating towards art from an early age, admiring and copying his older brother, and being interested in all kinds of visual imagery – especially video games, comics, and animation. Hernandez holds a BA in Art Practice from the University of California, Berkeley in 2009 and a MFA in Drawing & Printmaking from Washington State University, Pullman in 2011. He has organized and taught introductory printmaking workshops under Aguacate Press at the Hawthorne Arts Complex since 2016. Hernandez is currently living and making art in Los Angeles, CA.
www.hectoromarhernandez.com/
@hector.o.h
@aguacate.press