Seeds – a Photographic Study
In this photographic study on seeds, photographer and vegan chef Rebecca Hawkes captures the humble beginnings of life.
Some so tiny they spill out across the table and I lose sight of them. The seeds of the poppy shaken from its pod, falling like dust. Others I have to prise out from their shells, to spot their unusual patterns and colours. Turning them over in my palm, many do not look like anything special. A brown husk, the leftovers from a season of fertility. Once an eruption of colour, of edible confections that needed to be harvested at just the right moment, now have dried and turned to a shade closer to the soil they were grown in. The crunch of the outer husks of sunflowers that once glowed with the ability to induce happiness, now pecked at by birds, petals forlorn in the ending of this year's cycle. Sweet pea seeds rattle in their dried pods, I break them between my fingers, stealing away the spheres into envelopes.
Each unique yet with the potential to create life anew. These tiny seeds may not look like much but they will now lay dormant over the winter waiting for their moment to sprout again. They endure death, with their last energy casting the germ of new life. Like so many things in life that we are accustomed to, we no longer feel the awe of witnessing what is seemingly impossible. The birthing of new life. From species, including our own, bringing new life into the world, to the beauty and wisdom of the seeds reproducing their bounty year after year.
At first glance the pods upon my palm or the poppy seeds scattered across my table look insignificant. Yet in their hibernation, they prepare for the warmer days. The days when I will push them deep into the soil, or sprinkle them over a bed. Again they will flower and grow and again I will harvest them. They remind me of the potential hidden within the unsupposing. They remind me to wait until the right moment. They remind me of the cyclical nature of the seasons and how to work in symbiosis with each other. These seeds may be small but they are filled with potential.
To see more of Rebecca’s work visit her website here.