Join artist Sara Trillo and gardener and curator Fiona Parry in conversation about their work for SALT + EARTH: MARLING. They will share their experiences and you can ask them questions about the sculptural and planting experiments they have been working on together for the festival. The artworks are inspired by the history of dene holes (agricultural chalk mines), subterranean mythologies and agriculture in Kent. Sara is an artist who has been creating works in sculpture, drawing and textiles inspired by dene holes for the past two years. Fiona is a gardener and curator, interested in regenerative growing practices and collaborations between art and horticulture.
Dene holes are chalk mines found throughout Kent, which were dug for the extraction of subterranean chalk in order to marl the soil, a practice spanning over two thousand years. With these mysterious underground chalk mines as the starting point, Sara and Fiona are exploring crops grown historically in Kent and in chalk marled soil, such as clover and turnips, as well as those associated with the underworld and agriculture in mythology, such as wheat and pomegranates. They are experimenting with plants, roots, soils and materials from a sculptural and horticultural point of view. Working with 3 market gardens, they are testing growing forage herbs and other crops in chalk and Thanet sand – materials which would have been dug from dene holes. They are also creating sustainable sculptural forms / planting containers the length of particular plants’ roots, exploring and preserving the underground root structures of clovers and other chalkland plants grown in regenerative agriculture to build soil health.
Accessibility: Kollectiv has wheelchair accessibility for the downstairs level from Tontine Street.
