Joe Riley

Soil Procession (Futurefarmers, 2015)

The grains carried aboard Seed Journey (2017) were cultivated as part of a "groundbuilding" effort at  Futurefarmers-led project site in Oslo, Norway. Losæter is a new cultural institution on a common along the waterfront in Bjørvika (Oslo) dedicated to a range of activities related to art and urban food production. It includes Flatbread Society’s activities, Herligheten allotment community, an ancient grain field, a bakehouse and Oslo’s first City farmer. Losæter is a space in constant organic development. Pictured here is the grainfield topped with a map of soils from across Norway.
I was a collaborator for the Soil Procession and Seed Journey aspects of the Losæter project:

On June 13, 2015 a procession of farmers carried soil from their farms through the city of Oslo to its new home at Losæter. Soil Procession was a ground building ceremony that used the soil collected from over fifty Norwegian farms from as far north as Tromsø and as far south as Stokke, to build the foundation of the Flatbread Society Grain Field and Bakehouse. A procession of soil and people through Oslo drew attention to this historical, symbolic moment of the transition of a piece of land into a permanent stage for art and action related to food production.

At high noon, farmers gathered at the Oslo Botanical Gardens joined by city dwellers. Tractors, horses, wagons, wheelbarrows, musical instruments, voices, sheep, boats, backpacks and bikes processed to Losæter where the farmers’ soil offerings were laid out upon the site and a Land Declaration was signed:

”With the establishment of Losæter at Loallmenningen, we mark our commitment to support and highlight agriculture as a central part of the Bjørvikas cultural landscape. We hereby declare Losæter acultural commons. Losæter shall advance and contribute to the free and open exchange of seeds, knowledge, and relationships that grew out of this place. By signing this document, living traditions should be protected from any laws that interfere with these activities and that may be obstacles to the cultivation, distribution and future use of the biological material that grows on this land. The Flatbread Society Grainfield is an expression for this agreement. Unlike museums that collect and preserve works of art, The Flatbread Society Grainfield is a museum without walls that preserves through sharing and distribution.”