Falmouth xhibition looks at the work of important artists - including South West-based Turner Prize-winning Richard Long - who have engaged in the land.
The SoilCulture: Deep Roots exhibition looks at the work of important artists - including South West-based Turner Prize-winning Richard Long - who have engaged in the land and more specifically soil.
Healthy soils are essential for the production of food, fibres and timber, they filter our water and protect us from flooding and are a vital part of our global ecosystem. Today, however, soils are increasingly being threatened by poor management and short-termism, resulting in compaction, contamination and a loss of natural fertility. In the South West alone, 38% of its soils have already been significantly degraded.
2015 marks United Nations International Year of Soils and the exhibition marks the final stage of the three year Soil Culture project which began at the Contemporary Art and the Natural World (CCANW) and was launched at Falmouth University in 2013.
The unique range of artworks on display includes previously unseen work by Mel Chin, who uses plants to extract heavy metals from contaminated land. Claire Pentecost (pictured above) has refashioned soil into the shapes of gold ingots to reflect its true worth.
There will also be works by renowned British artists Chris Drury, Andy Goldsworthy, Sandra Masterson, Daro Montag, David Nash, Peter Ward and Adam White. For a more hands-on approach there will be a series of interactive displays and activities which explore the science behind soils.
SoilCulture: Deep Roots
19 September - 21 November
Falmouth Art Gallery, the Moor, Falmouth TR11 2RT
This article first appeared in Cornwall Life November 2015
