Soil Stories

Deryn Cowdy’s Soil Stories in The Wonder Gardens

Why should artists pay attention to microbes? As the planet's first life forms, microbes perform most biological functions, produce oxygen, drive major transitions in life, and are essential to both planetary maintenance and human health.

Born in Wiltshire, England, and raised in the Welsh countryside, artist Deryn Cowdy recalls that 'there was nothing to do, really.' She spent her time outdoors, observing plants and trees, sometimes lying on her belly to get a closer look. Nature has always been central to her practice, which spans sculpture (she holds a BA in Sculpture from the Bath Academy of Art), set design, mural painting, and photography. It was through photography that the seeds of her current work were first planted.

From Gilded Gardens to Rain, to Trees, and most recently Everglades, her work brings to light and elevates the often invisible, hidden, or out-of-reach elements of nature. The gilded still photographs of reflections captured during long walks in the Everglades allowed her to examine nature closely, revealing the intricate beauty of these fleeting moments contained within the movement.

Energized by her peers and new surroundings, and building on that trajectory, Cowdy now completes a cycle by crowning the rhythm of nature with a close examination of soil. A collage of repurposed burlap bags, natural wool, branches and plants hangs high on a wall. Now, standing upright, we can see some of what she observed while lying on her belly! In the hallway, a reverential canopy of uprooted plants, their beauty enhanced, seem to shelter the ideas and intentions gathered there and offer a space to look within. Smaller pieces hanging on the wall present imagined elements as though soil were viewed under a microscope. Soil Paintings, an experiment that explores the spontaneous use of soil in recognizable art form, and a compost installation created in collaboration with Fertile Earth and Dr. Lanette Sobel, highlights the process of decomposition, illustrating the intersection of art, nature, and ecological renewal.

Cowdy reminds us of the alchemy of nature, where uprooted plants are buried only to burst forth again with new life. This intricate cycle serves as a timely reminder of our evolutionary relationship and interdependence with the natural world—and that the future is collective.

Japanese farmer and philosopher Masanobu Fukuoka (1913-2008), celebrated for his natural farming, recognized that separating nature from humanity is as harmful to us as it is to the planet. He argued that "the only work for people to do... is to gather the seeds and microorganisms nature needs and sow them."

By looking closely at nature, as Cowdy has, we come to understand that every species is a masterpiece.