Soil Memory: A multisensory experience design of Soil's memory in London.
OVERVIEW
The project looks at pivotal anthropogenic events which have impacted soil health in London. The project explores tactile emotional learning as a way to build empathy with soil and soil health; which often goes unnoticed. A tactile mix media tapestry layered with an AR experience and an immersive audio weaving the narrative together.
MY ROLE
Independant Research Project at RCA
TOOLS
Touch Designer, mix media weaving, Lens Studio, Unity
TIMELINE
September 2024 - April 2025
Soil Memory
beneath a city
‘What if the land around us could tell a story?’
‘Unearthing soil narratives in London’
Tactility & Emotional learning
This project explores tactile emotional learning as a way to build empathy with soil and soil health; the huge expanse that stretches beneath our feet that often goes unnoticed.
Process:
Using London as a canvas for exploring soil ecology at the maco, meso & micro scales.
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Visits to Charterhouse in Term 1 piqued my interest in soil. In order to investigate the more than human narratives at the Charterhouse, my group looked at Stone & Soil’s perspectives
Research
In order to realize the tactile experience, I wanted to create something that embodies the feel of soil, visually and texturally. The piece takes a poetic approach where yarn and cloth weave together to form ‘soil tapestries’. I chose mixed media weaving as my medium.
img - Finding soil narratives and categorizing them
Piecing the narrative together
6 historical events represented by each square:
Square 1: The healthy soil - soil at its ideal self
Square 2: The Black Death epidemic
Square 3: The piece gets affected by ‘The Great Fire of London’
Square 4: The Blitz bombing in WWII - toxins and rubble embed the soil
Square 5: Heavy metal enrichment - industrialization
Square 6: Tunneling in London
Making
Setting up the warp threads on the frame
WIP weaving
Dying cloth with coffee, which were later cut into strips for weaving
Square 1: Healthy Soil
Square 2: The Great Fire of London
Enhancing the experience: Snap AR Spectacles
Using Snapchat’s AR Spectacles to create an immersive, guided narrative overlay builds on AR’s roots in entertainment and its unique strength in place-based storytelling. Much like open-air theater and public art, AR transforms everyday spaces into dynamic stages where stories unfold in context, deepening emotional impact and memory. By layering narrative cues directly onto real-world environments, AR not only guides but also anchors the experience in place—making the interaction both personal and unforgettable.
View through AR Spectacles
Note: This is an ongoing project. Methods are still evolving, and updates will be made once all visual components and the full AR interaction are complete!