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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
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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. Date Time Venue Language Target Audience Capacity Fee |
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Note
- Please bring your own lunch or enjoy a delicious vegetarian lunch at the farm for an additional cost.
- We encourage visitors to use public transport to reduce carbon footprint. Click HERE for details.
- Parking spaces are extremely limited at our venue. Participants must reserve parking spaces online in advance.
- Payment is not refundable after acceptance, unless the programme is cancelled due to inclement weather or under-enrolment.
- Group bookings available in March and April only. Click HERE for details.
Application
Please submit your online application 1 week before the event.
Applications are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.
Parent & Child: CLICK HERE
Individual: CLICK HERE
Enquiries
Ms Alice Lam at 2483 7276 or email alice.lam@kfbg.org
Feedback from previous participants
‘It’s so easy to think of our soil as lifeless, but Dave reminded us that there are protozoa, amoeba, proteins, amino acids, all these things. It was like a flashback to high school biology – this is stuff I knew! – but this time, it meant so much more to me as a student of landscape. Soil is not just dirt – it is alive.’
Related Links
The Journey of Exploring Art, Gardening and Soil
Unveiling the Wonders and Colours of Soil Beneath Our Feet
Related Links
- Kadoorie Earth Programme (KEP) is an initiative co-created by KFBG and its network of collaborators and volunteers. By integrating the various strands of KFBG’s nature conservation, sustainable living and holistic education programmes, it provides life-transforming learning experiences that reconnect people with themselves, each other and the rest of nature and enable them to cultivate resilience in the face of global challenges.
- Nature Art Programmes: Immerse yourself in silent contemplation of nature. Deepen your awareness of beauty and connect with nature through art. KFBG organises a variety of art workshops including Zentangle drawing, sketching and wood art, and exhibitions to guide participants, with or without artistic background, to create nature art.
- Nature Education Programmes: Become animal detectives and explore the mysteries of wild animals. Use different senses to discover the beauty of plants. Learn about the significance of forest, trees and even soils through field visits, experiments and woodwork, to reconnect with nature.
- Group Guided Tours: Led by trained environmental interpreters, the content includes experiential and hands-on activities. We encourage a passion for nature, conservation and ecology by nurturing an appreciation of the natural world.
- Corporate Programmes: Our Holistic Education Department staff can design either half-day or full-day nature education and art programmes for corporate staff or their family members based on specific needs. Leveraging the unique natural landscape and cultural ambiance of Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden, our activities may include guided tours, farm-to-table experiences, nature-based workshops, talks and art activities, aiming to promote understanding and practice of sustainable living for organisations.