SOIL: Celebrating all things earthy! — carolinevitzthumstudio

Caroline Vitzthum

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SOIL: Celebrating all things earthy! (2025), curation of a community gathering & exhibition, Braziers Park School of Integrative Social Research, South Oxfordshire.

Artwork by Bethenie Carriaga. Photograph by Caroline Vitzthum.

In May 2025, I curated SOIL: Celebrating all things earthy! at Braziers Park, part of their longstanding tradition of hosting “Wider Community Weekends” – extended gatherings that combine collective learning, creative exploration, and skill-sharing. This special edition centred on the theme of Soil, inspired by environmental activist and speaker Satish Kumar’s philosophical framework Soil, Soul, Society, which also underpins Braziers Park’s 2025 education programme.

Kumar’s framework considers Soil not just as the ground beneath our feet, but as the basis of all life, providing food, air, and the conditions for ecological stability. Soil represents our relationship with the natural world; Soul reflects our inner life and wellbeing; and Society speaks to our collective responsibility and interdependence. Beginning with Soil, the gathering invited participants to engage with the tangible, sensory, and symbolic presence of the land, reflecting on our role as stewards of the living systems that sustain us.

Across four days, the programme wove together soil-inspired workshops, shared meals, and conversations with an exhibition of works by 18 artists selected through an open call. Practices ranged from sculpture, textiles, and drawing to photography, land art, painting, and live performance – each reflecting ecological sensitivity, low-impact making, and reciprocal relationships with the natural world.

Workshops included organic seed and plant exchanges, clay sculpting in the landscape, deep-listening circles, earthy reading sessions, sustainable paper-making, muddy mark-making for children and adults, tea tasting, moth identification, permaculture garden tours, a shared garden harvest and vegan cooking session. Artworks were installed throughout Braziers Park’s buildings and grounds, including a listed 17th century barn, greenhouses, meadows, orchards, and a Victorian walled vegetable garden, creating an unfolding narrative around soil, ecology, and place.

One highlight was the transformation of Braziers’ in-house library into a temporary Soil Reading Room – a curated space for quiet reflection and learning, featuring handmade zines, artist publications, essays, books, posters, and themed games contributed by participating artists, facilitators, and Braziers’ wider network. The Reading Room became a site for informal knowledge exchange, allowing visitors to deepen their connection to the theme through multiple voices and perspectives.

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Featured artists:

Alexandra Papademetriou, Belinda Garner, Bethenie Carriaga, Brooke Leigh, Chankalun, Debra Pollarini, Eilidh Guthrie, Elizabeth Salazar Guerra, Juliet Duckworth, Laura Selby, Lola Evelyn Ives, Mills Brown, Moss Berke, Nicole Frobusch, Notgroundbreaking, Peter King, Rhona Eve Clews, Sabīne Šnē

Workshop facilitators:

Anastasia Lewis, Caroline Vitzthum, Chris Chapman, Helen Edwards, Laura Selby, Sean O’Leary, Stray workshop, tinyteahouse, Wildflowers Forest School

A heartfelt thank you to all the exhibiting artists, facilitators, and participants whose energy and generosity shaped the weekend—and to the Braziers Park resident community for their warmth, hospitality, and deep enthusiasm for the project.