EXCAVATION GROWTH UNITS 1 + 2

Excavation Growth Unit #1

Excavated dirt, brick, stone, efflorescence, silicone, oyster mushrooms, sphagnum moss, PVC vinyl, plywood, casters

Excavation Growth Unit #2

Excavated dirt, brick, stone, efflorescence, silicone, oyster mushrooms, potting soil, PVC vinyl, plywood, casters

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These portable units are primarily made from dirt taken from the basement of a church in Hamilton, ON. I was working in this basement over the summer during the COVID-19 pandemic when studio space was unavailable.  I have been thinking about the linguistics surrounding dirt, soil, dust, and earth. What makes something soil and something else dirt? Is it the capacity for growth? How can we rethink what valuable growth means, and therefore what is dirt?

I took silicone casts of the topography of the soil and then removed them from the space. After removing them, the crystals reformed on the silicone over the course of a couple weeks. I have re-placed them within the excavated soil. The act of disturbance seems to be a catalyst for growth and reproduction. Without the disruption, the salt crystals will remain stagnant and not spread.