03: Soil

Soil is a highly diverse and sensitive cosmos that is facing increasing pressure due to the climate crisis, as a result of more frequent and severe extreme events such as drought. Soil holds histories, stories and belowground storage systems, repositories of information and traces of past worlds, current developments and future scenarios.

The exhibition 03: Soil - Between (De-)Composition and (Re-)Construction in the Climate Crisis emerges from the project 03: Soil, which is based on interdisciplinary and site-specific artistic research, and is rooted in a collective field exploration of a subalpine ecological research laboratory in the Stubai Valley (Tyrol, Austria).

At AIL researchers and artists show their open, collaborative process, which unfolds in a multiperspective inquiry on soil and drought. This creates a dialogue at the intersection of data collection, scientific exploration and artistic translation, in which soil becomes a ground for research, creativity, evidence and metaphors.

Scientific instruments and equipment such as soil corers, gas analysers, sample bags, and rubber gloves are referenced as symbolic embodiments for the experimental simulation and investigation of the effects of droughts on grasslands and their soils.

With contributions by:

Franziska Allerberger (Geographer), Michael Bahn (Ecologist), Helena Detsch (Visual Artist), Cornelia Dirnberger (Visual Artist), Christian Prohammer (Musician, Audio Engineer), Nora Schöpfer (Visual Artist), Konstantina Maria Serjannis (Cultural Scientist), Johanna Unterpertinger (Musician)