{"id":2,"date":"2026-06-23T10:35:55","date_gmt":"2026-06-23T10:35:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thinking-soil-and-water.uni-ak.ac.at\/?page_id=2"},"modified":"2026-06-26T08:52:35","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T08:52:35","slug":"about","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/thinking-soil-and-water.uni-ak.ac.at\/","title":{"rendered":"ABOUT"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Thinking Soil & Water<\/strong><\/em> is a transdisciplinary research and exchange initiative that brings together the University of Pretoria and the University of Applied Arts Vienna through an evolving archive, artistic and curatorial research outputs, and a curated assembly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Soil & Water<\/em> <\/strong>project (2024\u20132026), taking place at the NIROX Sculpture Park in the Cradle of Humankind in South Africa, serves as an archive<\/strong> for this Africa-UniNet <\/strong>project<\/em>. The initiative analyses, interprets, and disseminates the knowledge accumulated in the Soil & Water<\/em> project<\/em> and explores how it contributes to ecological understanding, cultural practices, and transdisciplinary approaches to interdependent material relationships. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Initiated in response to pollution of rivers and groundwater in the Cradle of Humankind, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in South Africa, the Soil & Wate<\/strong><\/em>r<\/strong> project has evolved into a transdisciplinary platform examining the complex relationships among ecological processes, cultural narratives, and social realities. Developed by Johan Thom <\/strong>(University of Pretoria) and Basak Senova <\/strong>(University of Applied Arts Vienna), in collaboration with the  NIROX Foundation, Soil & Water <\/em><\/strong>brought together more than 60 international artists whose work engages with the fragile relationship between soil and water. By combining scientifically grounded environmental knowledge, socio-historical research, and material-based artistic practice, Thinking Soil & Water<\/strong><\/em> aims at creating an archive and an open platform for re-examining the cultural and ecological narratives embedded in Soil & Water<\/em>. <\/strong>The Vienna Assembly<\/strong>, hosted by the University of Applied Arts Vienna, will bring ecological knowledge into dialogue with artistic translations of ecological intelligence, thereby generating a hybrid, transdisciplinary research architecture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Soil & Water<\/strong><\/em> project took shape at NIROX Sculpture Park in South Africa through residencies and modular exhibitions, and subsequently expanded to Pretoria, utilising venues at the University of Pretoria and the Javett Art Centre of the University of Pretoria, including walkabouts, concerts, workshops, artist talks, community engagement projects, and a symposium held between November 2025 and April 2026. The project later developed through two further iterations: in Cyprus, across Kyrenia and Nicosia, in collaboration with ARUCAD University of Art, Design and Communication; and in Rwanda, at Nyandungu Eco-Park, Kigali\u2019s first restored urban wetland, with residencies and exhibitions. Further iterations are planned in France and Vienna in 2027 and 2028.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The artists included in the archive are Abri de Swardt<\/strong> (ZA), Alet Pretorius <\/strong>(ZA), Atang Tshikare <\/strong>(ZA), Atul Bhalla <\/strong>(IN), Barbara Putz-Plecko <\/strong>(AT), Caroline Le M\u00e9haut\u00e9 <\/strong>(FR), The Centre for the Less Good Idea<\/strong> (ZA), Christophe Fellay<\/strong> (CH), Coral Bijoux<\/strong> (ZA), Diana Vives & Douglas Gimberg <\/strong>(CH\/ZA), Diane Victor<\/strong> (ZA), Diego Masera<\/strong> (AR), Ebru Kurbak<\/strong> (TR\/AT), Egle Oddo<\/strong> (IT\/FI), Eug\u00e9nie Touz\u00e9<\/strong> (FR), Francesco Bellina<\/strong> (IT), Hera B\u00fcy\u00fckta\u015fc\u0131yan<\/strong> (TR), Herrana Addisu <\/strong>(ET), Hope Azeda<\/strong> (UG\/RW), Ibrahim Mahama <\/strong>(GH), Innocent Nkurunziza<\/strong> <\/strong>(RW),<\/strong> Inma Herrera <\/strong>(ES\/FI), Isa Rosenberger<\/strong> (AT), Io Makandal <\/strong>(HT\/ZA), Jacob van Schalkwyk<\/strong> (ZA), Jeremy & Colleen Wafe<\/strong>r (ZA), Jessica Ostrowicz <\/strong>(UK), Jesper Just <\/strong>(DK), Johan Tho<\/strong>m (ZA), Lundahl & Seitl <\/strong>(SE), Madeyoulook <\/strong>(ZA), Maria Lantz <\/strong>(SE), Marja Helander<\/strong> (FI), Marcus Neustetter<\/strong> (AT\/ZA), Mithu Sen <\/strong>(IN), Olu Oguibe <\/strong>(NG), Oya Silbery<\/strong> (CY), Paula Anta<\/strong> (ES), Ramesh Daha<\/strong> (AT), Ra\u00fal Mirlo<\/strong> (MX), Robin Rhode<\/strong> (ZA\/DE), Rojda Tu\u011frul<\/strong> (TR), Sebastian Stumpf<\/strong> (DE), Seretse Moletsane <\/strong>(ZA), Serge Attukwei Clottey<\/strong> (GH), Setlamorago Mashilo<\/strong> (ZA), Serge Attukwei Clottey<\/strong> (GH), Shaken Grounds Collective<\/strong> (AT) [Nikolaus Gansterer,<\/strong> Mariella Greil<\/strong>, Victor Jaschke,<\/strong> Peter Kozek<\/strong>, Werner Moebius<\/strong> & Lucie Strecker<\/strong>], SUPERFLEX <\/strong>(DK), Vibha Galhotra<\/strong> (IN), and Wayne Binitie <\/strong>(UK), Willem Boshoff <\/strong>(ZA) and The ZoNE <\/strong>(AT\/CH\/TR\/ZA). With each project iteration, the archive continues to expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Thinking Soil & Water<\/strong><\/em> is the fourth collaboration between the University of Applied Arts Vienna and the University of Pretoria. The partnership began with the Octopus<\/em> Programme<\/em><\/strong> and continued with the Africa-UniNet project <\/em>A Research of Doing<\/em> <\/strong>and the Soil & Water <\/strong><\/em>project. As this fourth joint initiative, Thinking Soil & Water<\/strong><\/em> builds on a long-standing, productive, and trusting collaboration between the two universities. Each project has laid the foundation for the next, thus enabling a continuous deepening of this partnership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Led by Basak Senova<\/strong> in collaboration with Johan Thom<\/strong>, the project team includes Lize Kriel <\/strong>(Deputy Head of the School of Arts and Programme Coordinator for Visual Arts at the University of Pretoria and Alexander Damianisch<\/strong> (Department of Art and Research Support at the University of Applied Arts Vienna), as well as associated researchers from the University of Pretoria: Nigel Baker<\/strong>, Sikho Syotula<\/strong>, Avi Sooful,<\/strong> Coral Bijoux<\/strong>, Jacob van Schalkwyk<\/strong>, Cazlynne Peffer,<\/strong> and Teboho Lebakeng<\/strong>. From the University of Applied Arts Vienna, Annette Krauss<\/strong>, Sofia Bempeza<\/strong>, Petra Gruber<\/strong>, Wolfgang Fiel<\/strong>, and Nikolaus Gansterer<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thinking Soil & Water<\/strong><\/em> is an AFRICA UNINET<\/a> Project, supported by OeAD Africa-UniNet and BMBWF.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Thinking Soil & Water is a transdisciplinary research and exchange initiative that brings together the University of Pretoria and the University of Applied Arts Vienna through an evolving archive, artistic and curatorial research outputs, and a curated assembly. The Soil & Water project (2024\u20132026), taking place at the NIROX Sculpture Park in the Cradle of Humankind in… Continue reading ABOUT<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thinking-soil-and-water.uni-ak.ac.at\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thinking-soil-and-water.uni-ak.ac.at\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thinking-soil-and-water.uni-ak.ac.at\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thinking-soil-and-water.uni-ak.ac.at\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thinking-soil-and-water.uni-ak.ac.at\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2"}],"version-history":[{"count":45,"href":"https:\/\/thinking-soil-and-water.uni-ak.ac.at\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":139,"href":"https:\/\/thinking-soil-and-water.uni-ak.ac.at\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2\/revisions\/139"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thinking-soil-and-water.uni-ak.ac.at\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}