Soil care: Symphony rehearsal

Abstract

In the age of ecological challenges, soil is crucial to address many of the crises that we face today. Current discussions around soil care have spread across disciplines in order to generate new ways of understanding the growing concern in soil. This thesis explores the topic of soil care through the lens of craft and design. The research conducts a collaborative craft practice to reclaim the attention back to the soil. When focused on soil care, craft making can be considered a dialogical practice for establishing conversations between humans (makers), soils (materials) and the human–soil interaction that exists within the local environment. In doing so, this research emphasises the collaborative effort of human and soil as an important narrative agency in the process of craft making. By utilising the practice-led approach, this research is driven by inquiring into whether collaborative craft practices would provide a different way to re-think and re-evaluate our relationship with soil. This thesis is a collaboration with five soil-related practitioners from diverse backgrounds: a construction worker, a farmer, an archaeologist, a ceramic artist and a soil scientist. The soil was gathered in three locations in Finnish landscape: a construction site, a farm and an archaeological excavation site. These three sites were considered representative of the societal, ecological and cultural aspects of human–soil relationality. The gathered soils were processed to make material to conduct a series of five sensory workshops. Each workshop was designed as a one-to-one interview with one of the five soil-related contributors during which research data were collected and created. Based on the empirical data collected throughout the research process, the research findings draw attention to the agentic power in which humans and soils both hold creative expression in the process of craft making. The results of the study are presented through five different human– soil storytelling associated with several crafted artefacts. Each artefact is profoundly connected to its maker, material and the local environment. The study shows the generative power that craft can offer as an effective platform for collaboration with other disciplines and for the development of new forms of understanding for issues related to soil care. This collaborative practice is facilitated by and articulated through its creative process, especially the critical reflections that arise during the process of making and material engagement.