Open Jar Collective took the Soil City project to London in June, for a workshop as part of the Imagine2020 Summer Lab organised by Arts Admin.
We worked with a group of creative people from all over Europe who attend the lab to share ideas and experiences related art, climate change, participatory practice and the urban environment.
The workshop aimed to give the group a taste of all the different ways we had been exploring soil with groups in Glasgow and share what knowledge and experiences people had of their own soils. We also asked people to collect soil from sites around London during the week to bring to the workshop.
To contribute to a London perspective on soil we asked Mama D of Community Centred Knowledge to speak to the group. She curated a experience at Spitalfields City Farm involving sensory exploration, discussion and great food to explore our connection/disconnection to soil.
As to be expected from Open Jar Collective we started the workshop with preparing a nourishing soup together.
We also asked people to create a ‘soil tea’ by testing out different leaves, moss, flowers, bark, roots and seaweed to make a tea inspired by soil.
We then asked people to write from the perspective of the soils samples they had collected.
This led into a discussion about our dreams and possible actions for the protection of our soils. We used these discussions to create a series of posters in the style of the protest placard.
It was a thought provoking, intense and stimulating experience to participate in the lab and enthused us to keep thinking about how Soil City could continue and evolve.
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