March 2012 - June 2013
One year soil project with Stuttgart citizens

Exhibition at Oberwelt e.V, Stuttgart, Germany



On the Night of Museums in Stuttgart 2012, I invited the public to bring along or spontaneously donate nutrients produced by their own body and allow them to be transformed into their own personal black soil. During the year, participants and general public followed the transformation process. On completion of the composting process in 2013, each participant was given a pot with a special flower that has been grown in the black soil that they helped make.

 

16 local families collected their body waste (feces) at their home before the action and prepared for the composting with microbes. At the exhibition place, there was a Japanese buffet where visitors enjoyed the meal and drink. The organic waste from the cooking was collected for the compost. In the next room, I built dry compost toilets where visitors could “donate” their body waste (separating feces and urine). I made a compost collecting kit, curious visitors could take one to their home and start collecting their body waste for a while and bring back to the gallery space. Out of 200 visitors, 40 visitors used the toilet. 

 

The material succesfully turned to the black soil in spring 2013. At the final exhibition in June, each "donator" came back to the space and receive a pot with a flower. 

 

This project was completed with big help of Peter Haury and Elke Hennen, Oberwelt e.V.

Supported by EM Baden-Württemberg and Tria Terra

If you like to try Terra Preta composting, find an instruction below