Soil Bodies

Soil Bodies- The Living Tapestry

Location of activities and scope

Switzerland, Visual Arts Exhibition

Switzerland – Festival animation – Exhibition

 

Executive Summary

Soil Bodies is a transdisciplinary art–science project that positions soil as co-author and fashion as medium. Fashion is art: like painting or performance, it creates form, meaning, and critique. Unlike other arts, it is universal – everyone is dressed. Just as food enters the body, clothing touches the skin, our largest organ; yet its ecological origins remain invisible. Fashion is also highly connected to agriculture: cotton, linen, wool, and silk all depend on soil systems. Through the burial of white textiles in diverse soils, microbial life inscribes itself as stains, holes, and patterns, transforming garments into both evidence and ornament. These altered fabrics become installations, a participatory Soil Tapestry, and a final collection, reframing decomposition as design and making soil visible as cultural form. This project integrates science, art, and citizen participation, directly advancing the mission of A Soil Deal for Europe.

Motivation Statement

Soil is the thin living skin that covers the Earth’s terrestrial surface – the foundation on which our civilization and much of life on this planet depend. It connects the mineral, water, atmospheric, and biological spheres of the Earth into one functioning system. Soil hosts a large share of global biodiversity and provides essential resources such as food, clothing fibers, medicines, and clean drinking water. It is the planet’s largest recycling system, driving the circulation of nutrients and elements that sustain life. Without healthy soils, life as we know it would not be possible.
Yet soils worldwide are increasingly overused, polluted, and sealed under concrete. Every day, fertile soils are degraded or lost through unsustainable land use and urban expansion. The line between sustainable use and exploitation is thin. Raising awareness of soil’s importance is therefore crucial to developing socially just, economically viable, and environmentally sustainable systems. Protecting soil means protecting the ecological foundation of our societies and the future of life on Earth.

Sub-project objectives

Soil Bodies explores the relationship between soil, fashion, and culture. The project aims to make soil processes visible by using textiles as surfaces where microbial life leaves traces through decomposition.
By burying garments made from different fibers – such as cotton, wool, and synthetic materials – participants observe how soils interact with materials that are commonly used in clothing. These transformations become both scientific evidence and artistic material.
The project also positions fashion as a cultural medium for environmental awareness. Through installations, participatory activities, and garment design, soil becomes a co-author of fashion. The project aims to increase soil literacy, engage citizens in observation and reflection, and connect everyday consumer choices – such as clothing – to soil health and ecological systems.

Challenges and how they will be addressed

One of the main challenges is that soil processes are largely invisible, making it difficult for people to understand their importance. Soil Bodies addresses this by translating microbial activity into visible material change through textile decomposition.

Another challenge is connecting scientific knowledge with public engagement. The project bridges this gap by combining citizen science, artistic practice, and educational activities. Participants bury textiles, document soil conditions using a mobile app, and later analyze the decomposed materials during public events.

A further challenge lies in communicating the environmental impact of fashion. By using garments themselves as the medium of investigation, the project links soil health directly to everyday objects people already relate to, making complex ecological issues tangible and relatable

Expected outcomes

Soil Bodies will produce both scientific insights and cultural outputs. The project will generate a participatory archive of decomposed textiles collected through citizen science activities. These materials will form the Soil Tapestry, a large collaborative installation that documents how soils interact with different fibers.

Fragments of the tapestry will later be transformed into garments, demonstrating how soil processes can inspire artistic creation. The project will also produce an exhibition, educational kits for schools, and a publication (Soil Anthology) combining essays, images, and reflections on soil, fashion, and ecology.

Together, these outcomes will increase public awareness of soil health, encourage reflection on clothing consumption, and provide tools that allow the project’s approach to be replicated in other communities and educational contexts.

 

Meet the Project Team

Edie Lou Studio

Zurich-based, conceptual fashion brand exploring garments as cultural narratives.

Contact – Edie Freisinger.

Instagram.

Edie Lou Studio

Agroscope

Swiss center of excellence for agricultural research.

Contact – Franz Bender.

LinkedIn.