628 Years of Potatoes

Agricultural intervention, Berlin, 2023

Over 6 months in 2023, I grew potatoes on a vacant lot across from my atelier on the outer edge of gentrification in Wedding. The lot remained undeveloped and unsold at a speculative price. As the financial value rose, the social value of the land sunk. Based on the principle of usucaption, by which landless farmers in Brazil earn ownership of idle land by planting on it, the intervention occupied the space between the real value of the soil and the constructed value of the right to property and the market price. All plant species and many animal species living on the lot were identified and a selection was displayed on engraved boards on the construction fence. I became part of the community as children joined around the plot of potatoes. The intervention culminated in the collective harvest, followed by preparing the potatoes and giving away the chips on a newly built Pommes stand.

FILM
Single channel film, 39 minutes, 2024
Directed by Marina Resende and Vincent Jondeau, with music by Arne Braun and Julian Schenk and sound design by Daniel K.

The film documents the last weeks of the potato field on Papierstrasse, including the harvest, the poster for the „neo kin“ performance, urban planning research and conversations with real estate agents to find out the value of the lot. The film introduces the plant and animal species on the lot and the children from Papierstrasse, with a voice-over retelling the history of the lot and reflecting on the nature of value.

Watch the film trailer|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyCP86o7rL0&ab_channel=VincentJondeau|here|.