Life on earth depends on healthy soils. As part of hands-on materials education, young Eco-Social Design students at the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano explored soil as a do-it-yourself material for art, design and architecture. Through practical exercises and guest workshops we examined its properties, everyday uses, and future possiblities. Collaborating with the BITZ unibz fablab, a community workshop for hobbyists, researchers and students based in Bolzano, we developed experimental kits to (re)connect and engage people with soil.

Outcomes of the Findings On Soil project - along with the ECHO and MicroDarwin research - are currently on display at the GRASSI Museum of Applied Arts in Leipzig (Germany) as part of the special exhibition FUTURES – Material and Design of Tomorrow (21.11.2024 – 24.08.2025).

Project collaborators and supporters:
MUSEION – Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art
BITZ unibz fablab
Davide Balda (Technosoil Workshop)
Ayumi Matsuzaka (Creative Composting Seminar)
VIVO – Sustainable Community Garden
Material Library at the Faculty of Design and Art
Environmental Management of Mountain Areas (EMMA)

Photo (c) Antonia Krebs