Soil and Friends — Public Program | Meetings, Screenings, Discussions

About the event

The public program of the project "Soil and Friends" delves into themes present in the works of artists featured in the exhibition. Drawing on the knowledge and experience of farmers, biologists, social researchers, philosophers, and even soil organisms themselves, we will explore soil, attempting to move beyond an anthropocentric perspective. Together with the program's guests, we will reflect on our relationship with the earth in contemporary agriculture and ask how to care for soil in the Anthropocene. During nature workshops, we will discover the diversity of soil inhabitants. We will also discuss the politics of earthworms and methods of interspecies communication. 🌟 All events are free of charge. Meetings are held in Polish. 📅 25/09/2025, 18:00 Cinema at Ujazdowski Castle Film screening and discussion: Agroecology — on relationships with the earth in peasant farming What was or is peasant farming today? What caused the radical changes in the way we cultivate land in recent decades? Who owns agricultural land and its yields in the corporate food system? Where can the average farmer in Poland be found in all this? During the discussion, we will talk about economic inequalities in contemporary agriculture, the challenges of the food system, and solutions proposed by agroecology — a growing social movement that views land as a common good. The discussion will be preceded by a screening of the short film "Omelia Contadina," directed by Alice Rohrwacher. Participants: - Dr. Ruta Śpiewak, rural sociologist from the Institute of Rural and Agricultural Development of the Polish Academy of Sciences - Klaudia Kryńska, gardener and agroecology advocate associated with the Agro-Perma-Lab Foundation - Hubert Filipiak, ecological orchardist, runs the family farm Ekojabłonka in the Tarczyn municipality Moderation: Anna Jakubowska, coordinator of the European Agricultural Policy program at the Heinrich Böll Foundation. Event organized in collaboration with the Heinrich Böll Foundation. 📅 04/10/2025, 12:00 Educational Room on the ground floor of Ujazdowski Castle Workshop: First Date with a Centipede One-fourth of all living organisms are connected to soil, yet we know little about them. A lecture and workshop on soil biodiversity will introduce us to our chthonic friends — from bacteria, protists, fungi, nematodes, to springtails, mites, millipedes, and earthworms. During the workshop, we will examine soil samples from Warsaw's allotment gardens, Vistula meadows, and the compost heap in Ujazdowski Park. We will analyze their structure, pH, and humus content. We will take a closer look, both literally and figuratively, at the meso and macrofauna of the soil. Facilitator: Dr. Joanna Sucholas, PhD in biology, ethnobotanist, and educator, runs an agroecological farm in Greater Poland. The workshop is designed for adults, but soil life enthusiasts of all ages are welcome. Event organized in collaboration with the Heinrich Böll Foundation. 📅 07/10/2025, 18:00 Workshop Room on the ground floor of Ujazdowski Castle Discussion: How Does an Earthworm Think? Soil Organisms in Gardening Practice, Biology, and Posthumanist Philosophy How do we think about soil and the micro and macroorganisms that build it, with whom we share our living space? Can we understand an earthworm or a mole cricket? What do we know about their communication methods and sensory abilities? How do soil invertebrates experience the world? During the meeting, we will discuss our interspecies relationships. We will ask how to move beyond an anthropocentric perspective, consider the interests of soil inhabitants, and resolve disputes over shared spaces between humans and non-humans. Guests: - Prof. Paulina Kramarz, biologist, entomologist, lecturer at Jagiellonian University, associated with the Science for Nature initiative - Wioletta Olejarczyk, farmer running the Słoneczna 25 farm in the Silesian Voivodeship, activist involved in the development of agroecology Moderation: Anna Jakubowska, coordinator of the European Agricultural Policy program at the Heinrich Böll Foundation. Event organized in collaboration with the Heinrich Böll Foundation. 📅 16/10/2025, 18:00 Cinema at Ujazdowski Castle Film screening and discussion: Olives and Sesame. How to Survive Genocide in Gaza? Can growing eggplants be a form of resistance? Can preserving traditional seed varieties or harvesting herbs be one? During the meeting, we will discuss agricultural culture and the relationship of Palestinians with the land — both lost and still producing food and serving as a place of life. We will talk about strategies of resistance and survival of Palestinians. The discussion will be preceded by a screening of the film "Foragers," directed by Jumana Manna, 2022 (65 min). Guests: - Emil Al-Khawaldeh, organizer of protests, cultural events, and solidarity actions supporting Palestine. His family had an orange grove in a Palestinian village, which they had to leave during the Nakba in 1948 - Patrycja Król, sociology PhD candidate at Jagiellonian University, human rights observer, and volunteer with the Ecumenical Accompaniment Program in Israel and Palestine, researching peaceful forms of resistance by Palestinians in the West Bank - Dr. Maria Wodzińska, PhD in humanities, lecturer at the Faculty of "Artes Liberales" at the University of Warsaw. In her doctoral work, she explored how nature can be included in reflections on violence and death, describing, among other things, genocide in the Gaza Strip. Moderation: Katarzyna Makarowicz, graduate of philosophy and Indology at MISH UW. Associated with the Salam Lab editorial team. 📅 23/10/2025, 18:00 Workshop Room on the ground floor of Ujazdowski Castle Towards Learning to Care for (Soil) Life in the Anthropocene Lecture by Prof. Anna Krzywoszyńska Our relationship with soil reflects how we perceive the world and our place in it. Moving beyond anthropocentric understanding of soil is now a necessity in a landscape dominated by industrial, monocultural agriculture, which leads to the collapse of fundamental planetary processes necessary for the life of all organisms. What role should science play in this process of changing thinking and action? What kind of science do our suffering soils demand from us? What kind of knowledge do we need to survive the Anthropocene? The lecture by environmental anthropologist Prof. Anna Krzywoszyńska will focus on seeking new approaches to soil science that will help build better relationships with non-humans co-creating our world. We will examine the politics of science and environmental relations in the thought of Bruno Latour, Isabelle Stengers, and Hannah Arendt. We will ask how to care for soil life and practice mindfulness with an awareness of the scale of destruction of these multi-species ecosystems. Anna Krzywoszyńska is an associate professor at the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Oulu in Finland. She is an interdisciplinary social researcher specializing in human-environment relations, drawing from humanities, as well as soil science, agroecology, agricultural and environmental knowledge. Her work focuses on the role of science and other types of knowledge in shaping human-environment relations, especially soil; knowledge systems and environmental management co-created by science and society; and the role of local food systems. Her research aligns with the more-than-human anthropology and studies on the Anthropocene. Event organized in collaboration with the Heinrich Böll Foundation. More details: https://u-jazdowski.pl/program/wystawy/gleba-i-przyjaciele