As I continued working with ideas surrounding resonance and some of its physical and political possibilities, the initial ideas for Semilla (Seed) (2021) were planted. Semilla is a project that marks the beginning of something that grows in time, like an idea, or like a movement. Semilla consists of a small device, a capsule that contains a speaker and an mp3 player, and is buried as a symbolic offering to the Earth. It diffuses an underground sound piece that is composed of the resonant frequencies of our planet. In order to listen to it, we must put our bodies and ears in contact with the Earth. Semilla is meant to be a resonant object that protects the place where it is buried as it produces noise and unwanted vibrations that render the ground unsoundable for geophones—telluric sensors used by oil and gas companies to find new places for extraction. This makes Semilla an element of active protection, resonance, and mutual care.

Semilla is powered by solar panels and it does not contain any toxic elements that may damage the place where it is buried. It is covered by a papier maché carcass with natural pigments and is covered with chamomile seeds that grow so that the Semilla is rooted in the place it is buried. Also, as the herb grows, it signals where the Semilla is buried, so the herb can eventually be used to make a herbal infusion to be shared in a communal tea, a moment to talk about the themes contained and stimulated by Semilla.

As a piece that grows in time, I thought that Semilla had to have a way of being disseminated so it could grow as a movement outside of my individual actions. For this purpose, I added a component to this project: Semilla Manual (Manual Seed, or Seed Manual). This is a manual with the guidelines for making homemade sound seeds/semillas. This manual operates like a tool for disseminating and spreading the underground resistance of the Semilla. The manual exists online for free download, and has been printed in different formats such as posters and as lambe-lambes in Brazil in the context of the exhibition Pra Onde Agora? (Where to now?), for the festival Novas Frequências 2021, curated by chico dub. The manual has also been translated to three languages (Spanish, Portuguese, and English). I would like to continue this project over time and develop new ways of disseminating la Semilla, with more translations, poster giveaways, fabrication workshops, and planting ceremonies.

The first Semilla was planted at bosquemuseo for the exhibition Umbral (Threshold), for the 15 Bienal de Artes Mediales, Santiago, Chile. The burial ceremony took place the day of the eclipse in the southern hemisphere on December 4, 2021. It was carried out by my dear friends and collaborators Francisca Gili, Carolina Arévalo, and Martina Illari del Rosario Aguayo Gili. The burial started weeks before, when Chilean astronomer Demian Arancibia carried the Semilla with him from one hemisphere to the other as he was on a research trip in Boston.