Burrinja Presents
DoomsDay Core | Amanda Page
Thu 15 - Sun 25 May | Burrinja Airlock Gallery
An evocative reflection on climate, preservation, and global food security.
Doomsday Core presents a striking display of agricultural grain seed samples from the 2022 deposit made by the Australian Grains Genebank in Horsham, Victoria, to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway.
Referencing the structure of an ice core sample, this glass-blown artwork encapsulates seeds that burn, blister, and bubble—forming delicate atmospheres of trapped air and abstract, ash-like residue suspended within the glass. Each piece becomes a microcosm, echoing both preservation and fragility.
The Svalbard Global Seed Vault stores frozen seed samples at –18°C, acting as a global food reserve should current food systems collapse due to fire, flood, famine, or war. Located 130 metres deep in the Arctic mountainside, the vault was designed to remain secure in the face of disaster. Yet, as temperatures rise and permafrost melts, even this symbol of security faces the threat of climate change—posing urgent questions about the future of food and survival.
This event is part of Melbourne Design Week 2025, an initiative of the Victorian Government in collaboration with the NGV.
