International “Soil and Soul” Projects
Pioneering a participatory design-build process
Soil and Soul is a participatory design-build process pioneered by California artist and architect James Hubbell, and by artist, community builder and Pomegranate Center founder, Milenko Matanovic with architecture students and volunteers from diverse cultures. Soil and Soul refers to the duality of:
- Creating environmentally sensitive shapes and forms that organically rest in, and celebrate, the spirit of a particular natural location and the community; and
- Celebrating the human spirit with all of its cultural differences and gifts.
This workshop-based process explores the relationship between nature and culture, and typically involves two-to-six weeks of intensive work. It begins with trust-building among the participants, listening and learning from the land and the culture of people living there, followed by a marathon construction effort, and ending with a community celebration where the community takes ownership of the gathering place. Hubbell and Matanovic used the process to bring students and volunteers from diverse cultures together to create a series of parks/gathering places in countries around the Pacific Rim: Mexico, Russia, United States and China.
- Kuchumaa Passage, Tecate Mexico 1993
- Pearl Amphitheater, Vladivostok, Russia 1994
- Pearl of the Pacific, San Diego, California 1998
- Pacific Rim Park, Yantai, China 2001
