The Soil Project
The Butler Gallery, Kilkenny, 2024
The Soil Project is an annual commission at Butler Gallery which supports invited artists to create participatory projects which connect deeply with the environment, the world around us and the soil beneath our feet. I was the invited artist for 2024. I chose to work with a local school, to broaden my participatory art practice and to explore soil from a child's perspective.
April 2024
Ten mini plots with the Butler Gallery were created to investigate soil. Throughout Spring 2024, twenty six students from St Johns Senior School made art, played with soil and grew cabbages from seed. Together, we planted a cabbage seedling into each of these plots. Red cabbage can used as a soil ph indicator.
March, 2024
June, 2024
The triangular plots contain different compost or additions. How do we relate to soil health, waste, creation and depletion today? This location in Kilkenny city was always used to grow vegetables. The clay soil onsite today differs from the prized loamy soil once found here in the 12th Century. In the town planning of Kilkenny city, it was the right of every citizen to own a 'burgage' plot where they could grow thier own vegetables and fruit. In the early 2000's Kilkenny city council used these grounds for the cities horticultural growing. In the 2016/17 archaeological dig, before the site became the Butler Gallery, the charred remains of cabbage, chive and onion seeds were found here.
Copper tape was used as an experiment to deter slugs and snails. Cabbage collars made from recycled carpet are to deter the cabbage root fly. Sage has been planted around the edges as a strong smelling herb with medicinal properties, to also help deter cabbage white butterfly.
As part of the final workshop, Dr. Eileen Hutton facilitated a red cabbage sauerkraut making workshop with the students, adding spices, flavourings and seasonings to create their own eclectic mixes. They learned about the gut healthy elements of fermented foods.
A student holds up cotton underpants, buried underground for 4 months, the degradation indicates the high amount of microbes in the soil.
Artworks and inks were created with students, using the fresh red cabbages they had planted, and dug up. Red cabbage acts like a crayon, and we changed their colours and ph levels to create green and blue.
A selection of artworks created by the students, using soil paint, home made cabbage collars, sage plants, magnifying glass, soil texture triangle and other elements in the workshops
On a beautiful sunny Autumn day, the cabbages that each student planted, were harvested. They grew on site at the Butler Gallery since May, planted as seeds by the students. This nine month site specific project with the Butler Gallery consisted of 4 workshops with local students, with constant monitoring of each cabbage plot by the artist and the staff of Butler Gallery throughout the seasons.