ART4MED

To close this second day at Kompost Festival in Berlin mikroBIOMIK and Open Agroecology Lab were proposing a gathering a the chapel of the Prinzessinengärten of Hermannstrasse  around Open Soil Research, an open drop-in with microscopes, open-source soil testing tools, and an underground listening station. It was followed by discussion with the Soil Assembly ground makers, a presentation by Nano Castro from Open Agroecology Lab (Mendoza, Argentina). Castro looks how can farmers and communities monitor soil health using accessible, open-source tools? Castro presented the experience of the Open Agroecology Lab in Mendoza, including the development of low-cost soil monitoring kits and protocols for assessing soil function, fertility, and biodiversity.
Lucy Allen, for an exploration of grassroots soil remediation and the Bodenlabor Kalk, a DIY soil care platform in Cologne (2024-2025), followed by soil tasting with masharu & Naida Culshaw (), a shared evocation, gathering edible earth, microbial life, re/membering, ancestral echoes, and the uncertain threshold of the mouth.

Supported by SoilTribes and the EU

Makery is an active contributor the the Soil Assembly network and we're visiting this week the Kompost Festival, organised by Kompost.Zone, Mikrobiomik, Orangotango and many others (including an active participation by UdK Students) from 2nd to 5th of July in Berlin in and around the Tempelhofer Feld. "Between raised beds, compost toilets and Bokashi buckets, spaces emerge for encounter, exchange and learning with the soil. The Kompost Festival brings together ecology, art, science and hands-on practice, centring on caring relationships between people and soil."
Mikrobiomik was proposing two afternoons of a circular chromatography workshop in the garden of Spore Initiative, where the international Soil Assembly will happen next January.
Using circular filter chromatography, soil is transformed into an image that reveals what lies hidden and invites reflection on soil, life, and our relationship with it.
Circular chromatography transforms the complex composition of earth into a unique image, a visual fingerprint or portrait of the soil. It is an astonishing process full of surprises, even for experienced practitioners.
Each chroma is unique, as it reflects not only the sample from which it is derived but also to some degree the environmental conditions (temperature, humidity, microbial activity, etc.) and an individual signature of the experimenter. The technique can be viewed as a scientific method, an artistic exploration, and in some ways even as a spiritual endeavor.

More at soilassembly.net

Supported by SoilTribes and the EU