Jord/Luft: Vibrant Soils
exhibition, Jordens Hus, 2023
A collaborative project by Artist Sarah Trahan, Design researcher Louise Permiin, and Soil biologist and Senior Researcher Emeritus Paul Henning Krogh.
Vibrant Soils was shown alongside the work of Sophie Dupont as a part of the show Jord/Luft at Jordens Hus in Albertslund, DK.
Vibrant Soils – Why care for soil health? is an evolving artistic research project that creates sensory tools and experiences in order to raise awareness of the connection between earthworms and soil health. Through a mix of biological, eco-acoustic and co-design processes, the project aims to forge relationships between ourselves (humans) and earthworms and to bring to light the important but often invisible processes happening within the soil beneath our feet.
In Vibrant Soils – Why care for soil health?, we use the grounds of Vridsløselille Fængsel as our research location. In field work here, we investigated the local soil and captured unique sound recordings from locations in the earth around the former prison. We used these localized recordings as the basis from which to develop experimental methods and artistic interventions to activate sensory interaction and connection with soil and its inhabitants. It is our hope that the prototypes and artistic interventions on display in this exhibition can contribute towards an expanded understanding of soil health in relation to the lives of earthworms.
As an additional part of the Vibrant Soils exhibition, we offered soil listening and clay 3D-printing workshops with artists Robert Cole Rizzi and Anna Andersen that invited participants to explore their own sensory interaction with soil and with the grounds of Vridsløselille Fængsel.
This project was supported by Jordens Hus and Albertslund Kulturfond.
+ Jord/Luft press release
Vibrant Soils – Why care for soil health? is an evolving artistic research project that creates sensory tools and experiences in order to raise awareness of the connection between earthworms and soil health. Through a mix of biological, eco-acoustic and co-design processes, the project aims to forge relationships between ourselves (humans) and earthworms and to bring to light the important but often invisible processes happening within the soil beneath our feet.
In Vibrant Soils – Why care for soil health?, we use the grounds of Vridsløselille Fængsel as our research location. In field work here, we investigated the local soil and captured unique sound recordings from locations in the earth around the former prison. We used these localized recordings as the basis from which to develop experimental methods and artistic interventions to activate sensory interaction and connection with soil and its inhabitants. It is our hope that the prototypes and artistic interventions on display in this exhibition can contribute towards an expanded understanding of soil health in relation to the lives of earthworms.
As an additional part of the Vibrant Soils exhibition, we offered soil listening and clay 3D-printing workshops with artists Robert Cole Rizzi and Anna Andersen that invited participants to explore their own sensory interaction with soil and with the grounds of Vridsløselille Fængsel.
This project was supported by Jordens Hus and Albertslund Kulturfond.
+ Jord/Luft press release
Exhibition view; Earthworm Terraria.
Exhbition view; Earthworm Terraria, local topsoil and earthworms, acrylic with wood stands.
Exhibition view; Soil Sounds Room. Installation, speakers playing soil sound recordings and set of Sound Sculptures generated from the recordings.
Soil Sound Sculptures. 3D prints using local clay from Vridsløselille Fængsel and stoneware, various dimensions.
Detail.
Exhibition view; Process Room. Process video on screen.
Exhibition view; Studio Room with design and sculpture protoypes. Bioplastics and clay, various dimensions.
Soil Sample from site 04, Vridsløselille Fængsel.Archival Inkjet Print, 24 x 36 in.
Soil Sample from site 01, Vridsløselille Fængsel.Archival Inkjet Print, 24 x 36 in.
Detail.
Soil Sample from site 02, Vridsløselille Fængsel.Archival Inkjet Print, 24 x 36 in.
Soil Sample from site 06, Vridsløselille Fængsel.Archival Inkjet Print, 24 x 36 in.
Exhibition view; Earthworm Room. Scientific literature and earthworm burrow visualization videos.
Field work: Collecting earthworms for the exhibition habitats.
Field work: Collecting soil samples from the grounds of Vridsløselille Fængsel.
Field work: Extracting clay from soil samples.
Field work: Printing sculptures with local clay.
Clay 3D print test with local clay.
Clay 3D print tests with local clay, after bisque firing.