Repetative

Repetative

Agriculture

Agriculture

Depletes

Depletes

Soil

Soil

SOIL SYMPHONY

Soil Symphony critiques the destructive impact of monoculture on soil health. Using scratched vinyl records as a metaphor, the work illustrates how repetitive agricultural practices deplete the land of nutrients, water, and biodiversity. Just as a needle stuck in a groove wears down the music, monoculture turns fertile soil into desert. Rekelhof’s kinetic installation calls for the restoration of diversity in both agriculture and life, showing how the potential for a rich, harmonious symphony is lost when nature is reduced to monotony. Diversity is not only beautiful, but essential for survival.

“Through symbolic crops on record players that play repeating symphonies, it lays bare the absurdity of monoculture and its repetitive nature. It covers the two most important aspects of Restorative Agriculture, biodiversity and cover crop rotation, demonstrating the urgency of biodiversity which allows plants and soil to thrive.”

Soil Symphony is about the symbiosis between plants and the soil in which they stand. Every plant has unique properties. What kind of minerals they give and take, how well they can withstand pests or how big their roots are. In this way, one plant replenishes where the others fall short. A diversity of plants ensures a balanced soil.

When a plant is planted into the ground, one after the other, as is the case with monoculture, the soil depletes. Diversity and rotation (variety) replenish the soil. Music shares the same principle in which diversity and variety are needed for sound or noise to become music. Several tones make a chord and a variety of tones make a tune. Every musician brings their own sound and together they play a symphony. The records play a repeating part of the symphony because the vinyl is scratched. This represents that in a repetitive agricultural system (mono-culture), plants can never fully perform their symphony.

This leads to a disturbing and misplaced sound. So is the concept of monoculture.

In Soil Symphony the plants break free from the repetitive sound of Monoculture creating an alternative symbiotic symphony between soil and plant.