Can Soil Speak for Itself? - No... But Art Can Help!

During my years of collaboration with soil artist: Don Hải Phú Daedalus, we have focused on improving the health of urban gardens and soils through art and science. My research concerns heavy metals in soils and the amendments (any material added to a soil to improve its physical and chemical properties) that interact with them, while Don's artistic intervention, the Illinois River Project, tries to connect water ecology and soil health. For example, Don captures invasive carp in the river and converts the bones into phosphorus enriched compost that helps ameliorate toxicity in urban soils.