Unearthed | on display March 2-8, 2025 | Levitt Gallery University of Iowa, Iowa City
“It’s no coincidence that we named planet Earth with a synonym for “soil,” Jo Handelsman in A World Without Soil.
Soil is a finite material that is taken for granted, exploited, and is undergoing immense degradation and loss. This body of work invites viewers to journey underground and engage with a complex ecosystem that is rich in biodiversity and often goes unseen.
The assembled microbe patterns reference aerial photos of farmland and quilt patterns. In referencing constructed farmland, the work addresses the history of Western agricultural practices and it’s adverse affect on soil health and stability. This body of work brings human-constructed landscapes into question, and asks how these structures and landscapes, both urban and rural...can be more compatible with natural processes.
At the same time, the pattern layout also recalls a quilt, emphasizing how soil microbes defy the constructed agricultural landscape in coexisting with plants to expand their chances of survival. Quilts symbolize care and community, which is reflective of the complex and reciprocal network of soil microbes and plants actively exchanging resources for each other’s benefit. In Symbiotic Stitching, the material is hand-sewn to represent the active role humans have in understanding and caring for the environment.
At the same time, the pattern layout also recalls a quilt, emphasizing how soil microbes defy the constructed agricultural landscape in coexisting with plants to expand their chances of survival. Quilts symbolize care and community, which is reflective of the complex and reciprocal network of soil microbes and plants actively exchanging resources for each other’s benefit. In Symbiotic Stitching, the material is hand-sewn to represent the active role humans have in understanding and caring for the environment.