Soil City Lab events 2016

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Fri 8 April, 5-8pm   Soil City Lab Opening

Pop along for the launch of the Soil City Lab and find out what we’ll be up to over the next 2 weeks.  Make a soil print, check out our resource library, and drink some nettle tea before you move on to the other Glasgow International openings.

Sat 9 April, 1-4pm   Fermentation Circle

Join us for a skillshare where we will explore the ancient art of fermentation – from sourdough bread to sauerkraut.  Learn about the microbial communities that help us preserve food naturally and the health benefits of introducing more fermented foods into our diet.  Bring your recipes, starters and jars of goodies to share. No booking required. https://www.facebook.com/events/1728527510695850/

Mon 11 April, 6.30-9.30pm   Land Rights Night, South Block £5 / £7

Join us for an evening of food, talks and discussion about land rights and the commons from local and International perspectives.  Our four speakers – Severine von Tscharner Fleming, Alec Finaly, Fergus Walker and Ruth Olden – span the fields of art, research, activism, and farming.  They will share their views and stories of the commons, inviting us all to reflect on how we relate to the land in this peak-capitalist moment. Food will be served at 6.30pm and talks will start at 7pm, followed by space for questions, conversation and collective action.  Tickets available here.
https://www.facebook.com/events/463912243804188/

Tue 12 April, 6pm – 7pm  Farm Hack Talk

Co-founder Severine von Tscharner Fleming will give a talk about Farm Hack – a worldwide community of farmers who build and modify their own tools. “We also seek to bring our non-farmer allies on board: engineers, architects, designers, and the like. Together, with an open-source ethic, we can retool our farms for a sustainable future.”  Based on this model, a group in Scotland has formed to organise our own Farm Hack skills sharing event this Autumn.  Stay after the talk for an organising meeting if you’re interested in getting involved in the planning or have design skills you can share with farmers (meeting 7-9pm). No booking required.

Wed 13 Apr, 6.30pm  Oat Library: Lending the Rural to the City

How to make community growing more possible in a city with an industrial legacy. Artist studio NADFLY presents a panel discussion exploring the ideas raised by their Oat Library project.  The panel will discuss the role of artists in creating high-impact, public work that embraces a large audience in engaging with issues of sustainability. It will consider how to design our public space to facilitate engaged community lifestyles, address the fundamental question of how to make community growing more possible in a city with an industrial legacy. No booking required.
https://www.facebook.com/events/555370374666382/

Sun 17 April, 2-5pm   Urban Alluvium*

Urban Alluvium is a participatory fieldwork activity led by artists Minty Donald and Nick Millar. It explores the relationship between soil/sediment and water in the urban environment of central Glasgow, in an area that was once part of the River Clyde’s flood plain. Through a series of playful ‘experiments’ with drain water and the sediment suspended within it, Urban Alluvium will reflect on the composition of urban soil, its waterborne movement through the city, ideas of contamination, dirt and disgust. We’ll meet at the Lab at 2pm and go out to collect water samples to bring back to the Lab.  * Sediment deposited by flowing water. No booking required.
https://www.facebook.com/events/1560942497552364/

Wednesday 20th April, 11am – 4pm  SOILARI, St Enoch Centre

How will people connect with soil in the cities of the future? Visitors to the St Enoch Centre will be invited to try ‘SOILARI m.v Future Soil Therapy’ in an interactive installation based on an extrapolation of current research on the beneficial properties of the microorganisms in soil. ‘SOILARI m.v Future Soil Therapy’ is a work by artists Robbie Coleman and Jo Hodges in collaboration with soil scientist Lorna Dawson from The Hutton Institute, Aberdeen, and aims to explore our relationship with soil.  SOILARI was created for Nil by Mouth, with support from Creative Scotland. No booking required. https://www.facebook.com/events/165432030517447/

Wednesday 20th April, 1 – 3pm Soil and the City

Join Bob Hamilton of the Common Good Awareness Project on an east end meander to observe and discuss the relationship between the concrete and social constructions of the city and soil on which it is built. The common good awareness project, initiated by Bob raises awareness of publicy owned assets in the city and engagement in the common good fund which arrises from these assets. What if we understood soil as a common good and the assets as the ecological, social and practical services it provides. Meet at the Lab and take a walk to consider the buildings, underground streams, historic common grazing land, ‘stalled spaces’ and social routes in the city. No booking required.

Wed 20 April, 5.30-7.30pm  Green Tease

Get together in the Soil City Lab to discuss the role of field research, social engagement, cross-disciplinary collaboration and activism within Open Jar Collective’s practice. Take part in some hands on soil testing and conversations about public art and sustainability.  Participants are welcome to bring a soil sample from their garden, local park or a vacant gap site along to the event.  Green Tease is a monthly get together organised by Creative Carbon Scotland.  Each month they’re joined by a speaker from the artistic or environmental worlds to present how environmental sustainability is embedded or interpreted within their work.  Refreshments provided.  Please book your free place here.
https://www.facebook.com/events/977550698964695/

Thursday 21st April, 7.30pm Throw Away Gourmet

Throw Away Gourmet are a group of students from the Glasgow School of Art who regularly come together to strengthen community through the action of preparing and sharing food that would otherwise be thrown away. Using donations raised from these meals we are then able to share food throughout Glasgow. It is a developing student led project that evolves and grows, reaching out to different communities within the city and raising awareness of food wastage through the action of bringing people together to eat. Please book your free place here
https://www.facebook.com/events/860132980762440/

Friday 22nd April, 1 – 3pm What is Soil Anyway?

We see soil every day; in gardens, playing fields, along roadsides and many other places. But what actually is soil, and where does it come from? Is all soil the same, and what would happen if our soil disappeared overnight? Can we simply make more if we need it? Malcolm Coull from the James Hutton Institute and Abi Mordin from Propagate lead a practical workshop and discussion about soil creation from composting at home to large scale soil ingredients. No booking required.
https://www.facebook.com/events/934381773344065/

Sun 24 April, 3-5pm   Soil City Tasting Party

Join us for a tasting of our lab-brewed nettle beer and a selection of ferments.  Take a look at the field research that has been gathered since the start of the festival, and share your thoughts on where Soil City could go next. Come along!

Saturday 30th April, 6 – 8pm ‘Symphony of the Soil’ Film Screening

Part of the Radical Film Festival. We are presenting a documentary Symphony of the Soil that puts the investigations of soil in our city into a global context.  ‘Symphony of the Soil is an artistic exploration of the miraculous substance soil … an intriguing presentation that highlights possibilities of healthy soil creating healthy plants creating healthy humans living on a healthy planet.’ The Lab will be open from 4pm for people to come and view what has been gathered during the process of the field research and delve into our soil resources. The film will be screened at 6pm (film is 104 minutes long). Soup will be served at 5:30pm. https://www.facebook.com/events/480532245472534/