Week Twenty-Five | Humans, Humus and Humility

“To compost means to bring things together — from the Latin composites, “placed together.” It means to compose something out of decaying material, to orchestrate all these different organic substance into a living whole, creating life conditions where different micro-organisms, numerous creatures and beings can unfold. But this requires the constant attention, care and personal relationship of the gardener and farmer to this whole process.”

From The Inner and Outer Gesture of Composting, Nature Institute

How curious that humans, humus and humility have the same etymological root: in creating a dark humus from our compost heap we may also find our own humanity and humility, as well as solutions for our future. Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust. I am exploring the concept of a compost heap as a metaphor for humanity, grief, survival and hope.

Consider soil exhaustion and the self indulgence of using humus for painting… https://sustainabilityfirst.org.uk/artist-gallery-hugo-lami/gallery-all-hugo-lami/56-liz-elton-tender

Beautiful work using ecologically complex materials https://ginaallen.org/ Drawings using exhaust fumes etc https://www.sustainabilityfirst.org.uk/artist-gallery-hugo-lami/gallery-all-hugo-lami/47-gina-allen-vivacity-first-place

Ideas for work

• Liz Elton’s work centres around compost bins and compostable materials http://www.lizelton.com/compost-bin.html

• I am less interested in the idea of portraits of the compost bin and more on the idea as a symbol for compassion and other things

• I want to make materials out of the compost - charcoal, paper, pigments, humus paint etc

• Drawings from humus - experiments on recycled paper

• Drawings from charcoal out of paper made from compost

• I wonder what other compostable materials I could extract from my compost…

• Branches or shreddings for installations or 3D

• Make clay for ceramics

• Photography of the compost and materials made from the compost