A TAZ to force certainty
In dark, candlelight barns remains a Temporary Autonomous Zone, better known as a T.A.Z. called The Rhubarb Triangle. It is located in West Yorkshire, England, between Morley, Wakefield and Rothwell.
Since 1877, only twelve farms remain harvesting Yorkshire Forced Rhubarb. A local sustainability practice that forces Rhubarb to grow out of season to manage the uncertainty of scarce fruit in winter months. 200 years ago, the area was renowned for the wool mill industry and the local farmers began fertilizing Rhubarb in the fields using nitrogen-rich bi-product of the local factories and in these cold months the exposure to frost would make the roots resilient and tough.
After two years outside, the Rhubarb is picked and housed in low ceiling, hand-built forcing sheds where the rhubarb is forced to grow only by candlelight. The increase in temperature and the candlelight temporarily controls photosynthesis and the Rhubarb grows up to five centimeters a day to seek the restricted light. It grows at such a phenomenal speed farmers hear it expanding in their beds.
In 2010, the region was granted Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status by the European Commission, which identifies this method and food to only be associated by its geographical area and its unique method.
Kin Navigation space
Reception: I pretty much was raised in Yorkshire, from a small village called Boston Spa – a few miles north of Wakefield. I always had a soft spot for rhubarb, especially a tart, sweet – comforting crumble. I did not realise this fruit had a proud spot in the heritage of my homeland. When I heard about this sustainable process to grow fruit out of season, almost 200 years ago and now protected by the European Commission, it made me curious as to what else we can learn from the past to innovate for the future regarding sustainability and the climate change crisis.
Interruption: After reading Making is Connecting: The Social Meaning of Creativity, from DIY and Knitting to YouTube and Web 2.0 by David Gauntlette where he states that environmental concerns are encouraging people to reduce the amount of stuff they consume and that the Transition Towns movement by Rob Hopkins and his handbook The Power of Just Doing stuff is encouraging “communities to work together to find sustainable ways of living… and the internet has played an important role in offline real-world activities, as a tool for communication, networks and organization.”
Response: Merging old ways and practices with new technology is a logical step forward, but what if we are able to use these technologies and new knowledges in restricted spaces or not in our time, or when we are out of time. The lockdown or TAZ feels pertinent to towards the shift in consumption and making new meaning – transitioning to a movement where movement is calmer and with pause to allow us to thrive, like the rhubarb growing at rates unimaginable due to its conditions being optimum for growth.