Shake Your Metaphor

Introduction

A creative session hosted by SOILSCAPE to explore ways of seeing and understanding soil. A point of departure are metaphors, whose explorations reveal existing ways of seeing and understanding soils.

The SOILSCAPE project is all about building stronger connections between people and the soil. On 15 July, it hosted a first webinar edition of the protocol “Shake Your Metaphor”, which exists since 2018.The webinar was an interactive online session where participants came together to reflect, imagine, and reshape how we speak and think about soil.

The goal was to offer a hands-on and participatory experience. Everyone came with a metaphor in mind, shared their own perspective, and explored how different framings could spark curiosity, make complex ideas more relatable, and unlock new ways of thinking.

The session was guided by Abigail Fallot, an economist at the French agricultural research and international cooperation organization CIRAD, whose research focuses on climate change adaptation, with deliberative methods including collecting and exploring metaphors that shape understanding in science and society. Hosted by Mégane Roncier of AFES, the webinar followed a structured but open process called “Shake your Metaphor” proposed by Antonia Taddei and Leila Perié and adjusted by Fallot. The protocol was designed to help participants move from comparison to reflection, and from reflection to creativity.

Participants began by sharing the metaphor they would like to explore. Several options were proposed, including soil as a sponge, a puzzle piece, an archive or as a cradle and grave. The group agreed to focus on soil as a city. Using an interactive whiteboard tool, they mapped out similarities and differences between urban systems and the hidden life below our feet.

Soil – a living city beneath our feet?

Fungi became road systems. Microorganisms stood in for citizens. Nutrients moved through invisible pipelines. The porosity of soil reminded participants of public spaces and services in a bustling metropolis. But soil, unlike a city, lacks formal governance. It doesn’t make noise – or does it? Its rhythms are slow and difficult to observe. Furthermore, the Bulgarian soil scientist and professor of the University of Chemical Technology and Metallurgy Metodi Mladenov explained that soil is capable, to a certain extent, of cleaning itself from impurities and contaminants, unlike cities.  These limits are just as important as the comparisons.

As they examined where the metaphor held up and where it loses validity, the participants were invited to invent new ones. Lucile Chavanieu of French public research institution, IRD, proposed soil as a video role-playing game black map, full of unknown terrain and interconnected quests. Bernardo Giorgi of the Siena Art Institute described soil as a living being, rich in history and meaning. Facundo Lucas of the University of Göttingen introduced the metaphor of a damsel in distress, evoking the apparent vulnerability of soil. Others imagined soil as a cradle, an artistic fabric, the unknown part of ourself or even as Lewis Carroll’s unfinished book.

The power of metaphors to explore ideas, understanding and the arts…

Throughout, the metaphor was not just a tool for communication. It was a tool for thinking. Metaphors help audiences surface their assumptions, express emotions, and shift from individual knowledge to shared insight… moved from “yes, but” to “yes, and” Abigail suggested.

Indeed, the session showed how metaphors can support mutual understanding and transdisciplinary thinking. Each metaphor highlights something about soil. Each one can also reveal something about the person who used it: their background, discipline, or way of seeing the world.

Abigail reminded everyone that metaphors are never neutral. They shape what we notice, what we value, and how we act. One metaphor can open doors but also close others. That’s why it is so important to shake them. To stretch, bend, and challenge them. To invite others in. To hold multiple views side by side.

This is exactly what SOILSCAPE hopes to cultivate. A more inclusive and imaginative culture of soil, where the arts, sciences, and public voices can meet and learn from each other. Metaphor is one way to do that. Not to simplify soil, but to make it more vivid, more present, and more possible to care for in more consistent ways.

More opportunities to engage

The “Shake Your Metaphor” format will return in future workshops and public activities. It offers an accessible, engaging entry point into the complex world of soil. Whether in a classroom, an artist’s studio, a science lab or a community garden, metaphor exploration invites us to think together.

To learn more about the project and upcoming events, visit soilscape.eu
To explore more about metaphor in science, see

(English and Spanish versions of the article in Supplementary Material)