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Art made from geothermal soil showcased in Munich, Germany

Art made from geothermal soil showcased in Munich, Germany Drilling rig on site at Graben-Neudorf, Germany (source: video screenshot/ SWR)
Carlo Cariaga 8 Jun 2023

The "Die Tiefen" exhibit by artist Ekkeland Götze features pieces made using soil from the Graben-Neudorf geothermal project of Deutsche Erdwärme in Germany.

Ekkeland Götze, an artist based in Munich, Germany, has created art pieces using earth from a geothermal rpoject as material. The exhibition “Die Tiefen” is currently running in the Graben-Neudorf local history museum and can be viewed on June 18th and July 2nd from 2PM to 5PM.

The “deepest” work of art

Instead of brushes and paint, Götze used earth collected from the Graben-Neudorf geothermal project as material for the art pieces. The soil was collected at various points, from the borehole to the geothermal power plant. Of particular interest is the soil collected from the Triassic upper red sandstone layer found at a depth of 3790 meters. This comes from the Buntsandstein formation and is about 243 million years old.

With material extracted from great depth, Götze described the piece as the “deepest” work of art in the world.

Samples of soil were sent from different stages of the geothermal facility to the artist’s studio. The soil was then cleaner, slurried, and dried before being applied to the canvas. “And that’s the moment when I see for the first time how the picture turned out,” said Götze during the opening of the exhibit.

The colors of the earth indicate its mineral content and the specific natural processes that it has been through, explains geologist Ulrich Lotz. For instance, a red color indicates iron content and a dry, desert-like climate. “If it becomes wetter, the iron is reduced and yellow-greenish to gray soils develop. If there is also digested sludge, it turns gray to black,” said Lotz.

Götze had already collected soil from different places around the world and turned it into art. The idea of using soil from the Graben-Neudorf geothermal site was suggested by Herbert Pohl, head of Deutsche Erdwärme. The artist liked the idea, mainly because it involved using soil sourced from deep in the subsurface.

“And so the idea of doing this with the soil from our borehole was obvious,” commented Pohl.

Source: BNN