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The soil chromatography project is looking for volunteers
A Mayo art festival has called for volunteers in a unique mapping project.
The ‘Art in the Landscape’ festival will take place this April.
Mayo art festival is searching for volunteers to participate in a soil chromatography project.
Art in the Landscape: A Festival of Change is a two-day event planned to take place in April across various venues on location in Mayo.
The festival, which is a partnership project between Offaly County Council, Mayo County Council and Visual Artists Ireland, will take place in Mayo on April 12 and 13.
Artist Eileen Hutton is proposing a site specific response to Tír Sáile, based on soil chromatography.
Soil chromatography is an alternative photography process that creates a ‘soil portrait’ on light sensitive filter paper. It was first developed in 1953 by a German soil scientist and advocate for biodynamic farming named Ehrenfried E. Pfeiffer.
It became an inexpensive means for farmers and composters to view a snapshot of the biological activity and health of soil, compost, plants, and food. This project will unfold over the next two months and engage local communities with the Tír Sáile Trail and result in a soil chromatogram to represent each site, all of which will be exhibited at the festival in April.
Ms Hutton is inviting volunteers to gather soil samples at one, or more, of the 10 sites located along the Tír Sáile Sculpture Trail.
Instructions for how to best collect and identify the soils at the sculpture site will be sent to participants, as well as a self-addressed, stamped envelope to return the samples.
Each soil sample will be used to make a chromatogram, or ‘soil portrait’ which is developed through the alternative photography process.
Soil samples must be returned to Ms Hutton by March 5 to be processed in time for the event’s exhibition.
The festival is aimed at local communities and people working or interested in the arts, heritage, environment, culture, tourism, local business and community development.
The full ‘Art in the Landscape – Festival of Change’ programme will be available in the coming weeks.
For further information on the project please contact Mayo County Council Arts, and to participate, in the project, contact Eileen Hutton at eileenc.hutton@gmail.com
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