Hidden aesthetics beneath our feet: Soil Art as a novel approach to addressing complex challenges in a changing environment

Soils are typically viewed as providers of nutrients, reservoirs of biodiversity, or regulators of climate processes. Far less attention is paid to their aesthetic dimension. Beneath our feet exists an invisible world of structures and patterns that can be both scientifically meaningful and visually striking. This contribution presents the SoilART Project, which explores soils (Siberian and not only) through the lens of the aesthetics of the invisible.

The project investigates art-science co-creation to bridge the gap between soil science and society, fostering engagement, reflection, and dialogue around environmental change. SoilART applies a two-fold approach: (1) revealing aesthetic forms created by natural soil processes, and (2) using soil itself as a medium for artistic expression. By integrating artistic practice with scientific inquiry, SoilART offers a novel framework for communicating soil complexity and highlights the importance of soil conservation as a foundational yet often overlooked component of Earth’s ecosystems.