The Science
The Soil Security Programme (SSP) was based at Reading University (UK) and headed by Professor Chris Collins. It aimed to understand, protect and promote sustainable soil use in the UK. Scientists from a range of disciplines developed a new understanding of what governs soil in situ for naturally occurring and managed agricultural soils. The SSP was aligned with the Global Food Security programme, which aims to meet the challenges of providing the world’s growing population with a sustainable and secure supply of food using less land, with lower inputs. The SSP focused on the ecosystem services provided by soil; namely, food security, climate mitigation, and water and nutrient cycling. The research findings provided evidence to support current and future policy, through close collaboration with the policy makers at Defra and the Welsh and Scottish Governments. Agricultural practitioners were also co-opted into the SSP so that improvements in production without negative impacts on the environment can be realised.
More can be found here: https://soilsecurity.org/.
The Artist
Phil Lambert is a British Visual Artist who lives in Cardiff, Wales. He has an interdisciplinary background across the Human Sciences and Visual Arts, but has recently been commissioned to work for the Reading University Soil Science Team in the Geography Department. He is currently working with pigments made from processed soils. These connect with many social, scientific and spiritual themes. He seeks out opportunities to collaborate with scientists in his work. You can connect with him on his website and on Twitter @pwrlambert.
The Theme
This work is painted in lightly processed mud/soil mixed with linseed oil and wax. As an artist I am interested in the paradoxical metaphorical associations of the mundane and life-giving qualities of mud. Alongside this, I enjoy the technical qualities associated with a difficult and physical handmade medium. The soil used has been collected from the site of the image in the painting, locating it in a specific time and place (Llandaff in Wales, 2020). Although, the piece itself has a timeless pastoral quality. The soil is lightly processed and suspended in the oil and so is a record of the minerals, life forms and decaying matter that exist in that location at a totally different scale to the painted image.
The image chosen attempts to represent all the research projects funded by the Soil Security Programme and the way they link agriculture, soil, ecosystems, scientists and landscape in a delicate balance.
Copyright statement. This work is published under the CC BY-NC-SA license