MEGAN GARFITT CHRISTENSEN TELLS THE SECRETS OF THE SOIL w/ SOIL SECRETS

‘Soil Secrets’ is a physical experience at Bristol Botanical Garden of the symbiotic network of roots and the unseen mycelium underground.

Megan Garfitt Christensen’s physical experience at Bristol Botanical Garden takes a detailed look at the symbiotic network of roots and mycelium underground, with interaction of thinking and sharing thoughts on the unseen nature underground.

“For an experience in Bristol Botanical Garden, I decided to focus on nature that goes unseen and often forgotten about when admiring the beauty above ground.

Wanting to explore the broad topic of underground, soil and life in it, in a personal way to the people of Bristol, Megan used the ‘Wood Wide Web’ as a visual and metaphorical structure for this project — a symbiotic network of mycelium from fungi and roots from plants, that connect and communicate.

“I created an experience that allowed you to enter a dark space to feel underground with the network.”

Through a glowing web of prints, representative of parts of roots and mycelium. Each placed and connected by a person after writing or drawing their thoughts about underground on to it. To create a sense of being part of the network, while learning about and encourage conversation about our personal connection to ‘the underground’.

“A collection of 172 cards with drawings, words, thoughts about nature underground are only a small part of the range of conversation and different reactions of engagement from people I got to witness to my designed experience.”

Where Megan Garfitt Christensen is concerned, there are many more Soil Secrets to tell.

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DPS—SIP—EXPO—2023 // DPS self-initiated projects (SIPs) have been an opportunity for UAL LCC London DPS students to express themselves via their personal projects and wider creative endeavours over the course of their DPS year.