Since the 1920s, Geothermal heating has made it possible to grow tropical plants in the middle of the cold north Atlantic. In the late 1930s the first bananas (Musa acuminata) were introduced to grow in greenhouses in Iceland. Today the agricultural university in Hveragerði cultivates a few different banana plants at a safe distance from a roaring fungus (Panama Disease or Fusarium wilt) that is threatening the production and trade of bananas worldwide. The Musa plant is unable to reproduce; instead shoots taken from the roots of existing plants are used to grow clones. Due to this, the genetic diversity of commercial bananas, the same few individuals of the Cavendish, is very low. The Cavendish is currently the world’s main commercial crop. The cultivation of the bananas in Iceland is not only preserving a plant that soon might become the last of its kind, it is also feeding a sensational narration of a tropical plant growing in Iceland by harnessing the power of unlimited natural resources. The banana has become the starting point of the exploration carried out by hands.on.matter during their research trip to Iceland, where they looked into the connections between natural resources, historical narratives and identity-making.
Through their research, Hands.on.matter unpacked the history behind the Icelandic banana. A utopian story was told, one boasting an abundance of geothermal energy, further playing into the nation branding scheme of the “exotic north.” The banana first came to Iceland from Hlín Eiríksdóttir from England in 1939, and when a ban of imported good such as fruits was placed on Iceland, the plant began being grown in small nurseries and eventually in a banana plantation in Borgarnes. The wooden greenhouse eventually began to deteriorate and was overcome with mold at the same time that the import of international bananas overtook the trade of the Icelandic banana.
Banana peel paper is thin and delicate. The irregularities, holes and porosity of the material represents the fragility of the banana in the current global economy. Bananas are a nutritious staple that is consumed worldwide. They cost just a few cents, even though they are produced in tropical climates. The Banana Paper project also questions the extensive cultivation of nature, commercial greenwashing and excessive global consumption.
hands.on.matter is a material collective based in Berlin that explores when and how something can be thought of as sustainable, whether it is a material or a process – the imperative being how we as people can get a deeper and more intuitive understanding of the material processes of the things we use in our daily lives. The site specific installation invites visitors of the Living Arts Museum to engage in paper making followed by glueing and layering the sheets of paper to the wall of the museum. Layered with natural elements of the paper, the wall will slowly deteriorate and warp over the exhibition.