About the event
David St Maur Sheil's Soil Painting Experience Workshop Returns!
Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden welcomes back 2023 Artist-in-Residence David this spring to guide the public in exploring the wonders of soil art through his unique perspective. During his residency in 2023, David created a distinctive soil colour map of KFBG. This time, he will lead participants to the farm's upland areas to explore the varying colours of different soils, embarking on an immersive journey of intimate connection with earth and nature.
Soil art is a profound way to understand ecology and raise awareness of the vital role soil plays in our lives. Participants will dig and collect soil samples, discovering natural pigments rarely available commercially. Together, we will grind and prepare materials to create unique soil artworks, unveiling the hidden beauty within the earth.
Through interactive practice, the workshop deconstructs the intricate relationships between soil structure, microorganisms, fungi, plant growth, animal ecology, geology, hydrology and topography. It also explores human interactions with soil, from composting to artistic creation, and examines how these insights impact the future of agriculture, food and climate change. We warmly invite you to join the ‘Soil Art Experience Workshop’ to explore the world of soil art and discover soil's beauty and importance in our lives. Let's deepen our connection with earth and take action to protect and preserve our home for future generations.
Content
A full-day hands-on and interactive workshop combining a number of modules, including:
- Opening circle and introduction to soil
- Hands-on examination of soil
- Understand the soil web of life, from soil microbes to climate change
- Composting demonstration and principles
- Exploring global soil challenges and sustainable solutions
- Creating natural soil pigments
- Soil painting practice
About the Artist
David St Maur Sheil
David St Maur Sheil is a visual artist who creates stunning artworks using natural soils. At his workshop in Lam Tsuen valley, David breaks down soil into its many parts, including stones, grit, sand, tiny crystals, organic matter, clays and even dust. He then reassembles them into striking art pieces that showcase the beauty, texture and diversity of the earth.
For David, art is a means of exploring the healing potential and the deep sustaining roots of our connection to the earth. He believes that the transition to sustainability requires a deep cultural shift and that art can play a crucial role in engaging people's attention and raising consciousness about the beauty and importance of soil to us all.
About the organizer
Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden (KFBG) spreads over 148 hectares of land on the northern slopes of Tai Mo Shan, Hong Kong's highest mountain, near the town of Tai Po.
KFBG has a deep-set valley between two ridges, with a stream running steeply down through the forest. On the slopes there are forest, theme gardens, vegetable terraces, 8km of walking trails, 9km of roads, and conservation and educational facilities.
The Farm was established in 1956 to provide agricultural aid to farmers in need of support to help them lead independent lives; and to provide leisure and educational experience for the public. The theme gardens were designed and planted from the 1960's onwards, and through planting, natural process and protection from fire, what was once barren scrubland is now mature forest. Visitors are welcome.
KFBG's work and influence now spread far beyond the KFBG site. We raise awareness of ecological and sustainability issues, undertake species conservation and ecosystem restoration in Hong Kong, mainland China, Cambodia and Laos, reconnect people with nature, and promote sustainable lifestyles.