earth//soil

The exhibition examines the relationship of human beings towards the soil – for which the exhibition title uses the colloquial Croatian word for earth – and towards the Earth as a planet. In the introductory section the author’s intention is to make visitors aware of the very connection between people and soil at different levels, and of the many meanings that soil has in human life: beginning with the fact that the quality of the food we eat, the water we drink and the air we breathe depends on our relationship with the soil, given that certain micro-organisms living in the soil become an integral part of the human digestive system through the food and water we consume. We therefore set out the fundamental parameters of human dependence on and connection with the soil, which the exhibition then elaborates through several themes: agriculture, with special reference to one of its branches – arable farming; customs and beliefs linked to traditional ways of working the soil; mining as the deep exploitation of earth materials; ceramics and earthen construction as the surface use of soil; and good agricultural practices related to ecology and sustainability, such as urban gardens, permaculture and biodynamics.