Mudgrams A lecture and practicum with Dries Segers

In Europe, 60–70% of soils are considered “unhealthy,” with major consequences for agriculture, drinking water, and climate. The complex soil ecosystem is highly developed and advanced: it processes organic waste into soil, filters and purifies much of our drinking water, and traps dust and pathogens from the air we breathe. It also plays an important role in atmospheric CO₂ levels.

Mudgrams are created by using soil as the image generator. When contaminated soil interacts with the photosensitive layer, a trace remains: a record of their chemical collaboration. Mudgrams therefore deviate from an optical relation to the world, opting for a more direct approach based on material contact between subject and environment. Through co-authorship with earthly elements, a visual remnant of their interaction emerges - a technique occupying a middle ground between chemigram and photogram.