Ayumi Matsuzaka

All My Cycle

2010, on-going

Download: Documentation (PDF, 8 MB)

Making a black fertilizer out of my own excretion and using the fertilizer to produce vegetables, which will be eaten. Then collect excretion again to make new fertilizer. The project creates a natural cycle on individual level.

During 2010, I focused on making the fertilizer, advised by biologist Dr. Juergen Reckin. From spring 2011, I started planting seeds of vegetable varieties I ate in 2010.

How I found the idea of making my personal soil: Every summer I visit my friend’s house in the forests of Finland. She has a simple toilet without drainpipe. I was impressed to go to the toilet among the deep green woods. We also removed the completed fertilizer out of the toilet and buried it in the forest. This theme connects to my own body, to daily human life, to the efforts of treating our wastewater and to food production.

My method of making fertilizer is called “Terra Preta”, Amazonian black soil. This method has the advantage of preventing serious infections caused by parasites.

The whole process is documented on video. The project will result in a video projection and an installation with all the materials I used to make the soil.