Peatland Exchange recordings now available from World Soil Museum

In February and March 2022, the World Soil Museum hosted a four-part online series called “Peatland Exchanges.” The series was initiated by the museum’s artist-in-residence Kate Foster in partnership with Wageningen University & Research’s Home Turf Project and WetFutures.

In the interdisciplinary series, 11 different researchers and artists were featured in four two-hour online events. The events were recorded live and all recordings are available below, or through this YouTube playlist.

Peatland Exchange #1: Past environments of peatlands

Why is it important to date peat from the depths of raised bogs, many of which have now been dug away? Can science help reconstruct how water flowed and where bog iron ores developed? How might an artist begin to think about such scales of time and space?

Explore these questions with Head of World Soil Museum Stephan Mantel, WUR Assistant Professor in Soil Geography and Landscape (SGL) and Cultural Geography (GEO) Roy van Beek, WUR PhD candidates in Soil Geography and Landscape Group Cindy Quik and Aukjen Nauta, and artist Kate Foster.

Peatland Exchange #2: Archeological tales from the bog

Peatlands yield information about past and present human cultures as well as landscape change. How can we tell the stories of this natural and cultural heritage and incorporate these narratives in museum contexts? What creatives routes might help imagine lives that have been lived, weaving above and below ground?

Explore these questions with Head of World Soil Museum Stephan Mantel, WUR Assistant Professor in Soil Geography and Landscape and Cultural Geography Roy van Beek, Drents Museum Curator of Archeology Floor Huisman, artist Kate Foster.

Peatland Exchange #3: Reviewing cultural histories

What does new historical research tell us about people’s perceptions and use of peat bogs? How does this connect to present day meanings? What role does cultural heritage play in perceptions of peatlands? How might we creatively explore the plural meanings of peatlands through research poetry? How can a newcomer begin to see signs of Dutch peaty cultural landscapes?

Explore these questions with Head of World Soil Museum Stephan Mantel, WUR PhD candidate in Cultural Geography Dr. Maurice Paulissen, Research Associate at Newcastle University School of History, Classics and Archeology Dr. Abbi Flint, and artist Kate Foster.

Peatland Exchange #4: Living with peatlands today

What is the current sense of peatlands in The Netherlands? How can the other research we have heard about relate to this? How do people perceive peatlands in Ireland, where 20% of the country is covered by peat soil of which 85% is environmentally degraded? How might an artist characterise non-human figures for new narratives?

Explore these questions with ISRIC - World Soil Information Project Coordinator Mary Steverink-Mosugu, WUR Research and Education officer in Cultural Geography Maria de Wit, National Geographic Explorer Emily Toner and artist Kate Foster.