BENGALURU: At Soil Stories, an ongoing exhibition at Bangalore Creative Circus, Yeshwanthpur, there is a particular section where people are invited to walk barefoot on soil with sounds that are evocative of people’s relationship with soil. There’s also the smell of wet soil, petrichor, which is an immersive space that’s built using natural fabrics that are dyed with different colours of soil. It could be a simple thing that is set up but it takes you back to being connected to the soil, which is mostly forgotten in the hustle-bustle of daily life.
Soil Stories is a multi-sensory exhibition that showcases different kinds of soils. The exhibition has various films and performances scheduled. Siddharth Lakshman, co-founder of Bangalore Creative Circus explains, “The idea is to question how we can throw some light on a very vital but quite often silent and invisible force that exists on the earth, which is soil. How can we change our relationship with it, from treating it as a dead resource to one that is the source of life, and of so many things that we use in our daily lives.”
The exhibition, which is scheduled for February 25, is designed to be reflective and experiential. There are a series of 16 artefacts, spaces, and installations that bring up questions regarding people’s relationship with soil. “The exhibition takes us through this journey of showing many facets of soil. We look at what the components of clay are, and the importance of combating the biggest challenge of soil erosion. There are also experiments to go along with it,” says Lakshman.