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Greenpeace activists protest against the contamination of Mexico's maize supply from genetically engineered maize.
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"For years I'd thought that crop circles would be an ideal medium for
promoting Greenpeace's genetic engineering (GE) campaign. The crop
circles generate an alien mystique, encouraging people to consider the
unknown.
Greenpeace's GE campaign aims to prevent alien organisms from contaminating our plants and food, while raising awareness of the unknown consequences that could arise from such material entering the food chain.
This combination of mystery, creativity and an underlying message perfectly reflects the work that Greenpeace is doing worldwide. It was also embodied in the formation we created for them - a 65 meter (200 feet) circle with a question mark at its centre."
"For thousands of years, maize (corn) has been an essential food for the people of Mexico; it also plays an integral part in their culture and religion. Unfortunately, in recent years the maize has been tainted by GE varieties entering the country and being planted by unaware farmers. As a result, normally GE-free maize is showing signs of genetic contamination.
So the question mark conveys a simple message - contamination is happening, but nobody knows exactly where it is taking place, nor where it could lead for the wider environment.
A day after our crop circle creation we were transported to a tiny village called Cuanajo in the state of Michoacan. A celebration was held to honour the regions GE free status. The festival was an amazing cultural experience, each type of maize has a purpose. Maize for tortillas, tamales, atoles, pozole, animal feed and also to create handcrafts which they sell in market stalls.
Protecting this precious diversity is paramount for the people, regional government, scientists and environmental groups who have all worked together to cement the region as GE free. Other surrounding regions are also interested in following this example to create their own GE free zones.
The more I find out about the issues surrounding GE, especially within Mexico, the happier I am to have been involved in this project. With literally thousands of different strains of maize in Mexico, it's vitally important for both its people, and the rest of the world, to keep the seeds clean and maintain their variety.
Working with Greenpeace in Mexico was a rewarding and fun experience - even during the rainy season! Circlemakers hope to continue our relationship with Greenpeace and I also hope that Mexico can successfully rid itself of genetic contamination and keep its maize GE-free."
John
Lundberg is a British artist and documentary filmmaker. In the early
1990s he founded Circlemakers, a UK-based arts collective famous for
covertly creating hundreds of the world's most spectacular crop circles.
The formations crafted anonymously by John and his collaborators have created headlines around the world. Eventually Circlemakers began to be approached by companies asking if they could create crop circles to be used in TV shows, movies, music videos, adverts and PR stunts.
They've created crop circle in the UK, US, New Zealand, Japan, across continental Europe and now in Mexico.
More info at www.circlemakers.org
Greenpeace's GE campaign aims to prevent alien organisms from contaminating our plants and food, while raising awareness of the unknown consequences that could arise from such material entering the food chain.
This combination of mystery, creativity and an underlying message perfectly reflects the work that Greenpeace is doing worldwide. It was also embodied in the formation we created for them - a 65 meter (200 feet) circle with a question mark at its centre."
Why a question mark?
"For thousands of years, maize (corn) has been an essential food for the people of Mexico; it also plays an integral part in their culture and religion. Unfortunately, in recent years the maize has been tainted by GE varieties entering the country and being planted by unaware farmers. As a result, normally GE-free maize is showing signs of genetic contamination.
So the question mark conveys a simple message - contamination is happening, but nobody knows exactly where it is taking place, nor where it could lead for the wider environment.
A day after our crop circle creation we were transported to a tiny village called Cuanajo in the state of Michoacan. A celebration was held to honour the regions GE free status. The festival was an amazing cultural experience, each type of maize has a purpose. Maize for tortillas, tamales, atoles, pozole, animal feed and also to create handcrafts which they sell in market stalls.
Protecting this precious diversity is paramount for the people, regional government, scientists and environmental groups who have all worked together to cement the region as GE free. Other surrounding regions are also interested in following this example to create their own GE free zones.
The more I find out about the issues surrounding GE, especially within Mexico, the happier I am to have been involved in this project. With literally thousands of different strains of maize in Mexico, it's vitally important for both its people, and the rest of the world, to keep the seeds clean and maintain their variety.
Working with Greenpeace in Mexico was a rewarding and fun experience - even during the rainy season! Circlemakers hope to continue our relationship with Greenpeace and I also hope that Mexico can successfully rid itself of genetic contamination and keep its maize GE-free."
Crop circle makers.
The formations crafted anonymously by John and his collaborators have created headlines around the world. Eventually Circlemakers began to be approached by companies asking if they could create crop circles to be used in TV shows, movies, music videos, adverts and PR stunts.
They've created crop circle in the UK, US, New Zealand, Japan, across continental Europe and now in Mexico.
More info at www.circlemakers.org
