SOIL – Cultivating connection
An investigation processed based project exploring how we can form a greater connection with soil through changing the context in which we engage with it.
“We need acts of restoration, not only for polluted waters and degraded lands, but also for our relationship to the world. We need to restore honour to the way we live, so that when we walk through the world we don’t have to avert our eyes with shame, so that we can hold our heads up high and receive the respectful acknowledgment of the rest of the earth’s beings.” (Wall Kimmerer, 2020)
For too long we’ve not only neglected the land beneath us but we squandered it by; growing foods through industrial methods, over grazing, over ploughing, and poisoning it through pesticides. ‘We were divided by colonialism. We have been divided by gender, race, religion, class. But we are part of the Earth and food is the currency of life. A food system that is at war with the Earth is also at war with our bodies’ (Shiva 2021) We grow from the earth, we are the transference of energy from our food, that starts as seeds growing from the soil, and of which grew from, water, sunlight, and soil For us to have nourishing food we need to care for the health of the planet, we need to work together, connect, and understand how to care for soil.
Soil is alive, and forms the top layer of the Earth’s surface. There are more organisms in a teaspoon of soil than stars in the sky. Consisting of a mixture of organic matter, minerals, water, air, and numerous living creatures; soil is vital for the continuation of life on Earth. It is the basis of the food we eat and hence the foundation of our civilisation. Consequently, what we do to the soil, we do to ourselves.
Soil is essential to the health of our planet. This project explores how by caring for our topsoil we contribute to the sustenance of all life, while nurturing our own inner resilience. The project grew out of an abiding interest in cuisine and food systems, and the realisation that our food is only as healthy as the soil it grows in.
I was curious to see if changing the context in which people interact with soil might help them form a greater connection to it and take tangible action.
During the project I worked with visual communication, focusing on designing experimental spaces and experiential events to engage and inspire people’s relationship with soil. Ultimately, the project was realised with a Riso-printed zine, a manifesto poster, and a workshop event.
I designed a soil ritual workshop as the final event and it was divided into five layers: Ground, Meditate, Plant, Taste, Reflect. This workshop was an opportunity to develop a personal relationship with soil by interacting with it in several new ways.
The workshop began with sharing memories about everyones past connection to soil and connecting together as a group. It then moved into a meditation where everyone closed their eyes and was given a handful of soil to hold whilst they were guided through a soil meditation of reconnecting and appreciating their relationship to soil. Next they placed this soil into a plant pot to plant a bean that they would take home to be a growing reminder of their experience, and a continuation of appreciating soil and forming a link to the roots of our food system.
What happens when you hold soil in your hand?
Feeling the soil in my hand had a lasting impact in terms of realising how good it feels and that I want to have this feeling more often.
The second part of the event was more interactive, I created a large plant pot full of edible chocolate and beetroot cake soil. This was an opportunity for everyone to build their own edible soil fika plant pots, and have the experience of digesting soil. This was an opportunity where everyone could interact with each other, read the zine and manifesto, and indulge int he experience. The final part of the event was to write a letter to soil. This was a moment of actively reflecting, and talking to the soil, strengthening this relationship through communication.
The idea was for the zine, manifesto, and event to all co exist together. The event being the catalyst for personal connection to soil and the manifesto and zine being the informative piece. The zine is informative on the subject of soil with respect to the food system and promotes the idea of regenerative organic agriculture, as a farming method that priorities soil heath.
I deliberately chose Riso printing as it is a printing technique that uses organic and biodegradable inks and is the most environmentally-friendly way to print. The appearance of Riso printing is also unpredictable and gives a natural organic feel to the work which felt fitting for my project.
The intention of the project was to inspire a sense of responsibility and care towards the soil, igniting a spark that would lead individuals to engage in practices such as cultivating their own gardens and sourcing organic produce. By empowering individuals in this way, we can facilitate local small scale change that has a wider positive impact on the planet.
This is a video that documents the Soil Ritual and aims to give you a moment to question your personal connection to soil. Woven into the video are moments where I am using my body as a canvas for the soil. My body unlike paper is alive, which becomes a living canvas to accentuate the aliveness of the soil, and furthermore the connection of fertile soil with raw flesh. This was a part of my own personal process of connecting to my subject matter of soil and exploring with in a transgressive and artistic way and it felt fitting with the message I wanted to communicate in the film.
References
Robin Wall Kimmerer, 2020, Braiding Sweetgrass, Penguin, Great Britain
