Field to Palette ― Dialogues on Soil and Art in the Anthropocene

In an age of accelerated global soil degradation, creative approaches to protecting soil are warranted. This book is a transdisciplinary, multimedia reflection on the representation and meaning of soil resources in an age of crisis. Going beyond the traditional use of soil materials in sculpture and painting, it articulates critical positions on land use, biodiversity, and many other facets of cultural dependence on the soil. With contributions from over 60 internationally-renown artists and cultural researchers and 40 leading environmental scientists, this book presents a set of visual methodologies and worldviews that expand our understanding and appreciation of soil.

Alexandra Regan Toland is an artistic researcher and environmental planner with a doctorate degree from the Technische Universitat Berlin, Institute for Ecology, and MFA from the Dutch Art Institute of the Netherlands. She has held lectures and teaching posts at the Technische Universitat Berlin, University of Arts Berlin (UDK), Humboldt Universitat zu Berlin, and Leuphana University, and has published and exhibited artwork on the topics of environmental art and aesthetics as they apply to soil protection and urban ecology issues. She co-chaired the German Soil Science Society’s (DBG) Commission on Soils in Education and Society from 2011 to 2015.

Jay Stratton Noller is Professor of Landscape Pedology and Head of the Department of Crop and Soil Science at Oregon State University. His research focuses on morphologistics and human interactions with soils in modern and ancient agricultural and forest landscapes of the Middle East, Europe and the Americas. His experience crosses disciplines of soil science, geomorphology, art, and archaeology. He has published more than 180 papers and maps, five books, and is internationally recognized as an artist at Soilscape Studio LLC.

Professor Gerd Wessolek is a soil physicist and painter who has pioneered efforts at giving soils and soil science a broader exposure to the wider community through presentations, exhibitions, and soil art projects. Information on his research on urban soils in the vadose zone and an on-line gallery can be found at http://www.boden.tu-berlin.de. Since 1999 he has been chair of the soil protection department at the Berlin University of Technology.