Thinking Through Soil

3 units

Every material process that shapes the construction of the built environment passes through the soil at some point. In Thinking Through Soil, we will use the process of soil formation as an interpretive category to examine this passage, and engage more broadly with the geos of design. The course will begin with seminar-style discussions around key texts that frame an analytical approach to the science and politics of soil knowledge. We will then invent new digital workflows to reveal and visualize socio-ecological relationships through their permeabilities, porosities, politics, and material contingencies at multiple scales. These workflows will be interdisciplinary, experimental, and self-guided. The seminar will act as a laboratory where a common theme is examined from multiple perspectives.