SOIL RECIPES 2024

Soil Recipes was developed as part of the Hidden Figures programme by Ignite!
 I worked with Soil Scientist Kits Campbell and Pamoja Women’s Group based at the Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Refugee Forum, to share research, ideas and creative activities exploring the question: What is Healthy Soil?

Through a series of creative sessions, conversations and visits, we worked togehter to share stories and learn about soil, land use and care, cross-cultural knowledge, connectedness to land, and scientific research. As part of the project, we visited the University of Nottingham Sutton Bonington Campus for a full tour of the facilities and garden led by Kits. Here the group learned about identifying properties of different soils, technologies used for imagining and printing detailed scans of soil and different aspects of soil science. The collective research came together in a series of posters exhibited at the NNRF garden in summer 2024.

The Hidden Figures Project aims to create space for women, and people who identify as women and/non-binary to have conversations, develop confidence and share knowledge around their own interests and connections to scientific research. Themes explored through the project were identified by pairings of artists and scientists, in relation to their own expertise, and in turn through the participation of and in collaboration with community groups. Each group focused on topics that affect its members personally, and have used discussions, insights, creative activities and scientific research for further exploration. Together they are sharing knowledge, exchanging skills and telling stories to add their own perspective and cross cultural influence to ongoing scientific research. 

Thanks to: Melanie, Valeria,Debs, Sophia, Senait, Ghidey, Fatima, Hagush, Brishna, Ivy, Kisanet, Palwasha, Maliha, Joyce, Matilda , Nawroz, Runak, Zarefa and everyone at Pamoja women’s group.

The Hidden Figures programme was instigated by Nottingham-based education charity Ignite! and funded by the Boots Charitable Trust, following a pilot project in 2023.

SOIL RECIPES posters. Design by R Beinart.