A sonic potato battery for the 2007/08 International Garden Festival at the Jardins de Métis, Quebec.

Click on image above, then ‘play’ to view a short film that documented the Pomme de parterre project in 2007.

The potato speaks for itself

Pomme de parterre examines the potential for a symbiotic relationship between technology and the environment. Inspired by grade school science experiments and by the potato’s capacity to act as an organic storage device, Pomme de parterre creates an alternative energy source that harnesses the power of a thousand tubers. The project re-directs the latent energy of the humble spud to produce a visual and aural environment for an underground chamber situated in the centre of a potato patch, planted with sixteen different species of heirloom potatoes.

Pomme de parterre is a joint project realized by MoiMoi Design’s Angela Iarocci and Claire Ironside and David K. Ross, with additional assistance from Peter Flemming, Garrett Pittenger and Ted Kesik.

A box of boxes

In the centre of the parterre is an underground storage chamber/root cellar. This below-grade chamber is built from the very boxes used to store and ship potatoes to market. Reflecting the number of potatoes consumed annually by the average Canadian family, the battery draws its energy from 1,000 potatoes, wired in series and in parallel. The electricity produced by the potatoes is processed and broadcast as a variable drone inside the chamber. The resulting effect is the translated sound of a 1,000-strong potato choir.

Vernacular Cues

Pomme de Parterre takes its cues from the rich agricultural heritage and history surrounding the Festival site. In addition to its numerous potato farms, the Bas-Saint-Laurent region is known for a particular regional method of underground root vegetable storage. Using outdoor unelectrified buildings, farmers built natural refrigerators by keeping sun away from a cool, subterranean pit located directly under a low roof.

Photo credits: Interior: Michel Laverdière (Jardins de Métis); Exterior: Angela Iarocci; Video footage: David K. Ross