Mycelial Communities
Oct 30 – Dec 3 2021
Eileen Hutton was commissioned for the gallery’s 2021 The Soil Project commission.The Soil Project is an annual commission at Butler Gallery which supports invited artists to create participatory projects which connect deeply with the environment, the world around us and the soil beneath our feet. As galleries and museums increasingly address social issues affecting our communities, environmental and ecological concerns are key priorities for the 21st century.
"When I first undertook The Soil Project commission, the country was still in a phase of 5K travel restrictions. In order to develop a participatory project that prioritized direct engagement with soil, albeit remotely, I devised a postal art project. Packages containing a glass petri dish, detailed instructions for how to gather, sense and identify local soils as well as a copy of the General Soil Map of Ireland were sent to over 100 people from around the island. From this collective mapping process, I have created a series of experiments in soil chromatography to represent each gathered soil sample. This alternative photography process creates a ‘soil portrait’ on light sensitive filter paper that is both formally beautiful and a useful way to assess the soil for organic matter, biological diversity, minerals and humus. The individual chromatograms are installed as part of a large scale, material soil map.
The archive of the postal art component of this project is displayed alongside additional research phases of the residency that focused on fungi and earthworms as essential biota that contribute to the formation, maintenance and restoration of high quality, indispensable soils.
The full artist’s statement is available to read here.