Soil Care: Symphony Rehearsal (土壤關懷:交響排演)將土壤作為協作工藝的基本重點，利用芬蘭的在地土壤作為工藝創作的媒材並以設計研究方法為實踐重點。這項計畫從建築工地、農場、石器時代考古地點採集了不同的土壤樣本， 這些土壤皆蘊含了不同的象徵意義從文化、環境、社會層面。除了 對於當地媒材的實驗外，這個計畫利用工藝作為一種建立對話的方式與五位與土壤相關的貢獻者合作，其中包含陶藝家、農夫、建築 工人、考古學家、土壤科學家 ; 並將五種不同的見解帶入土壤保護 的主題，目的是在生態挑戰的時代下重新審視對土壤的關注以及探討當前對人與土壤關係的理解。環繞著在地材料的實驗研究及由多位土壤相關的專家所譜出的人土故事，此研究計畫於 2020-2021 年受邀展至芬蘭設計博物館 Soil Matters 展覽展出。
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.
Soil Care: Symphony Rehearsal is a MA design research project that 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.
Craft making is considered as 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 humans 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.
The soil was gathered in three locations in Finnish landscape: a construction site, a farm and an archaeological excavation site. Click the image to read Soil diary.
Studio Soil to Clay
In the Studio
There are ten different soil samples that were gathered during the visits. All of the soils were processed into clay and slip form by using the ball mill machine in the ceramic studio that situates in Aalto University’s Väre building
Slip palette
Sensory Workshop - In Dialogue With Soil Through Craft
The sensory workshop was designed for both collect and create the research data, the workshop conducted semi-structured interviews with multi-sensorial human-material interaction. It invites the five collaborators to engage the topic of soil care through discussion and material engagement. The workshop titled In Dialogue with Soil Through Craft is a structured one-to-oneinterview with the follow soil-related collaborators: Atte Hermansson, Farmer, Majvik - Biodynamic Farm; Catharina Kajander, Ceramic Artist; Jan Fast, Archeologist; Minna Hirvikorpi, Procurement Engineer, Vuosaari Construction site; Stephan Mantel, Soil scientist, Head of the ISRIC World Soil Museum and Curator.
During the sensory workshop, each of the collaborators crafted one unique stone to express their attachments to soils. In the end, these stones have been constructed together as a musical instrument with related stories from the contributors. The workshop aims to open up the discussion around soil care, mapping the relation with soil functions*, and reflecting on the values and meanings lie in soils.
*Soil functions: Food and other biomass production, Environmental Interaction, Biological habitat and gene pool, Source of raw materials, Platform for man-made structures, Cultural heritage.(Frossard, Blunand Warkentin, 2006)
Each contributor was crafting their stone during the Sensory workshop - In Dialogue with Soil Through Craft.
While working with soil, the workshop participants were thinking through the material and about their life stories, of soil and their practice. In this performance, material and human have become agents of the storytelling, empowered and expressed in the process of making. The final artefact of the Sensory Workshop is a ceramic xylophone, it is constructed together with all the stones that were created and used in the workshop. As a co-creation, this xylophone can function as an interactive instrument for engaging people into human-soil storytelling through an audio experience.
“Look ! if you take the skin, it’s part of your whole being.”
“Soil is living! There is a lot of life in the soil, which we don’t know very much about yet. ”
“Soil is constantly changing and is moving, and smells, according to many conditions like every living thing. Is part of life. ”
Extracted from the discussions in the Sensory workshop - In Dialogue With Soils Through Craft
In this project, I have invited five different people, all of whom have different backgrounds and a close connection to the soil. Their voices have added diverse aspects to this work so that, in this final stage, they form a kind of symphony, sometimes in harmony and sometimes in contrast. It is like the ceramic stones they have made; they all sound different. Despite each of them sharing different perspectives on the concept of “care for soil”, I have gained an understanding of the different human–soil relationships people have. A farmer pays attention to the soil’s health and maintains the nutrient cycle of the land. A farmer’s soil priorities are different to that of a construction worker, who ensures well-planned environmental interactions. Further, an archaeologist reads soil as the memories of a landscape and humanity, and caring for the soil means remembering the tracks and traces that were the common heritage of the landscape and preserving it from vanishing. An artisan respects the choices of soil materials and how they represent various localities and affect the ecology. Last, into a soil scientist view is to think about the use of soil with longer-term perspectives rather than the benefits of single-time use. All of them see different issues in the soil. I think these various aspects are of equal value and equally valid for this research. In the end, the symphony rehearses by reflecting on how we relate to the soil; it is through this collective “rehearsal” that the issue of soil care can be better articulated and hopefully resonate with more people.
Read full text: http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:aalto-202006143736
- Soil Matters Exhibition -
Designmuseo, Finland
- Read more -
Soil Care: Symphony Rehearsal
土壤關懷：交響排演
2019-2020
Project group
Designer Tzuyu Chen
Collaborator/Contributor
Majvik - Biodynanic Farm
Atte Hermansson, Farmer
Catharina Kajander, Ceramic Artist
Excavation site
Jan Fast, Archaeologist
Janne Soisalo, Archaeologist
Vuosaari Constuction site
Minna Hirvikorpi, Procurement Engineer
Stephan Mantel, Head of the ISRIC World Soil Museum and Curator