‘Soil: a world at our feet’ at Somerset House
A fascinating exhibition in this impressive building overlooking the River Thames combines art and nature in an exploration of the remarkable power and potential of soil.
The event explains that soil abounds with life, only the tiniest fraction of which is visible to the human eye: healthy soil hums with microbial activity, is home to a mind-blowing range of insect and animal life and sustains all life above ground.
Parts of the exhibition include stunning macro photographs of microscopic life and audio-visual illustrations of the special relationships between fungi and trees which prompt questions about how humans can live more harmoniously with the natural world.
There is even a tool to design gardens to suit the tastes of pollinators, rather than ours. The creators explain that because human actions are causing a worrying decline in pollinators around the world, how and what we all plant matters. Anyone can create a Planting Plan for their own garden by visiting this website: Pollinator Pathmaker. Plants are selected from a range provided by experts, but the design of every garden will be different: each calculated to support as many pollinator species as possible.
And there are bits of Buriton on show. In 2017 ceramicist Kim Norton started collecting samples for a ‘soil library’ from across the UK and Europe. She mixes each sample with 100 grams of porcelain and makes a simple pinch pot. Together they illustrate differences in soils across the various locations. In a display of 140 pinch pots, including some from France, Italy, Greece and Spain, there are three from soil sourced in Buriton!
One of the over-riding messages in the exhibition is that for a very long time humans have abused and depleted the magical substance called soil, making it incapable of functioning as it should. We are all encouraged to help to improve soil health. Even if we don’t farm or grow, we can try to buy from those who care for the soil so that it can continue to support us all in the future.
