Soil Saturdays at the Create Centre

Head for the Create centre every Saturday from 4 July to 22 August 2015 for Soil Saturdays – the UK’s summer celebration of soil. Each Soil Saturday is a vibrant happening for a taste of living well with each other and the soils of Earth.

Good food, safe water, healthy bodies, flourishing biodiversity, thriving communities, a planet in balance: these are the everyday gifts of living soils. 

Farmer, writer and activist Wendell Berry talked about the soil as the great connector of lives, the source and destination of all. We have lost this connection to soil and to raise awareness of the vital role of soil in our lives and the health of the planet, the UN has designated 2015 as International Year of Soils.  

So in this year of Bristol as the UK’s first Green Capital of Europe, the city is host to Soil Culture at Create and its Soil Saturdays – an extraordinary summer celebration of the living soil through July and August at Create centre, Bristol’s flagship venue on the Cumberland Basin. 

“Soil is at the heart and soul of our planet and has been taken for granted for far too long. It’s wonderful to see Soil Culture at Create putting our precious soil back in the forefront of our minds right where it belongs.” Helen Browning, The Soil Association

SOIL SATURDAYS

Soil Saturdays interweave exhibitions with hands-on workshops, talks, films, music, forums of inspiration and family events. And Soil Sisters will be offering mouthwatering Food Happenings – organic brunch, fresh herb teas, seasonal feasts and food rituals to bring a taste of Bristol’s soils to the table.

Each of the eight Soil Saturdays is dedicated to bringing people together to share experiences, ideas and explore solutions to protect our soils. Soil Saturdays are for everyone – young and old.

SOIL INTERDEPENDENCE DAY Saturday 4th July

Celebrate our interdependence with soil

WHAT IS SOIL? Saturday 11th July 

Discover the living matter of soil through food, art & science

SOIL OF BRISTOL Saturday 18th July 

Walk and talk for soil leading to a Declaration for Soil

LIVING SOIL LIVING FOOD Saturday 25th July 

Vital soil feeds living foods for body, mind & soul

GROWING SOIL Saturday 1st August 

Share skills & experiences that care for & restore living soils

WHOSE SOIL? Saturday 8th August 

Explore soil & social justice – artful dialogue between local & global

FALLOW FIELD Saturday 15th August 

Emergent day for reflections on actions, research & legacy

ART OF SOIL Saturday 22nd August 

Ecological & cultural diversity through soil, art & food

EXHIBITIONS

Discover Soil Culture Exhibitions which are open Monday to Saturday:

Soil Culture:Young Shoots exhibition inspired by research into soils curated by CCANW 

Dirt Dialogues shows the soil inspired work of 36 global artists as large posters curated by Alexandra Toland of soilarts 

Blue Soil Shrine is an arts installation that is evolving through the Artists Residency between Touchstone collaborations and Blue Finger Alliance. This collaboration celebrates the living soil and raises awareness of the campaign to safeguard Bristol’s high grade agricultural soil. 

WALK & TALK FOR SOIL ON SOIL SATURDAY JULY 18TH

Look out for Soil of Bristol on Soil Saturday 18 July 2015. This is a day to join a Walk and Talk for Soil to co-create a city wide Declaration for Soil in a way that can be adopted as a model by other cities in the UK and beyond. For more information, visit bluefingeralliance.org.uk  or email [email protected] 

This Declaration will help build the city’s resilience and become key to the 2015 Green Capital legacy. It will also be part of the future land and food strategies in the Bristol Food Action Plan and connect with our Health and Wellbeing Strategy and the West of England Joint Strategic Plan (2016-2036). The Declaration for Soil will be on display for people to see and respond to during Soil Saturdays in July and August.

TO CONNECT

For Soil Saturdays email Miche and Flora at [email protected]

touchstonecollaborations.com/soil-culture-create 

For Exhibitions contact Clive Adams CCANW.co.uk 

Create centre in Bristol, B Bond, Smeaton Road, BS1 6XN