On April 24, the Seeds of Diaspora Working Group co-sponsored a talk by Professor Eric Verdeil of Sciences Po, Paris. In his talk, entitled 'From Earth to Art: Seeing, Acquiescing and Contesting the Anthropocene' Verdeil presented his work-in-progress based in Paris and Lebanon, which deals with the metabolism and circulation of soils and excavation materials.
He began by discussing the soil depots that ring Paris, as documented by his PhD student Agnes Bastin who followed the flow of soil through the city. He then moved on to the sites and routes of hauling in Beirut, both for the excavation of sand and gravel for aggregate in concrete construction of new buildings and infrastructure; and for the removal of buildings and infrastructure destroyed in attacks. Verdeil's talk also covered the work of some land artists who've been commissioned by the city of Paris to deal with the soil depots outside the city, especially one near the Charles de Gaulle airport, and referenced the collaborative work of Lebanese artists Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige , whose 'Unconformities' project was an installation of core sample-like elements that reveal the periodicity of violence and destruction in the city. The setting-in-motion of soils, plants and people was also the subject of work-in-progress talks by working group members Anelise Chen and Lynnette Widder earlier in 2024.
