mijnKool, Organic Photography as a Participatory Design Method (Group CITY: Sustainability)

mijnKOOL is an artistic participatory research project in which photographer Kristof Vrancken and design studio SOCIAL MATTER examined the soil quality and composition in Genk by using red cabbage as a medium in an organic photographic process. Plants can play an important role in detecting soil structures and properties, for example, red cabbage works well as a bio-indicator.

The participants created a photographic emulsion with their crop through anthotype process, which resulted in an image. Depending on the acidity and composition of the soil in which the cabbage grew, the colour quality of the print was differing from sample to sample. The use of red cabbage as a measuring instrument gives an understanding of the impact that soil properties may have on ecology and food-production.

For the participatory design conference, I want to display the results of the project in an open atelier - lab format, as well as to launch a similar project in the public space of Hasselt. The participants of the conference are invited to join the experiments and think about future potentials of this methodology.

Project by Kristof Vrancken