Universidad de Alcalá de Henares

This contribution is grounded in the experimental work undertaken by Laponte Ecomuseo in
Santo Adriano, Asturias, which has demonstrated the potential of biocultural approaches in
the preservation and revitalisation of traditional agricultural knowledge.
This contribution explores the concept of biocultural heritage, recognising seeds as living
organisms that encompass not only genetic information but also cultural memory and
community practices linked to their cultivation and reproduction. It underscores the
importance of fostering ecosystem services that facilitate seed reproduction and the
transmission of the traditional knowledge associated with them.
Within this framework, the Ecomuseum emerges as a pivotal instrument for the development
of agroecological and cultural practices, serving as a space for conservation, exchange, and
collective learning. Through the establishment of living seed banks, the Ecomuseum not only
safeguards genetic diversity but also reinforces food sovereignty and ensures the continuity
of ancestral knowledge, enabling communities to sustain and adapt their agricultural
practices.
In this new phase of the project, the focus shifts towards disseminating this knowledge and
raising social awareness of the significance of biocultural heritage. In this regard, art plays a
fundamental role as a vehicle for knowledge transmission, offering a symbolic and sensory
language that engages diverse audiences and territories. Through artistic interventions,
landscape installations, visual narratives, and sound experiences, art serves to enhance the
visibility of seeds and the community practices surrounding them while simultaneously
fostering emotional engagement and collective mobilisation.
This strategy not only strengthens the connection between rural and urban communities but
also creates new spaces for critical reflection on the environmental crisis and the urgent
need to safeguard biodiversity from a cultural and political perspective.
By adopting a biocultural and artistic approach, this project seeks not only to preserve seeds
as living organisms but also to cultivate social and territorial awareness that ensures their
continued reproduction, thereby securing the transmission of associated knowledge for
future generations.