Sense/Make
An interdisciplinary workshop series exploring ecological remediation at the intersection of creative practice.
Purchase tickets to the second of three sessions, Fieldwork—Composing Soil, here!
Image credit: Adam Armengual Slauson
Join us for a three-part interdisciplinary series led by Dr. Danielle Stevenson of the Centre for Applied Ecological Remediation (CAER) in collaboration with Trade School. Together, we’ll learn the basics of bioremediation including soil toxicity and ecological healing using fungi, microbes, and plants.
Meet a community of creative practitioners as we explore the poetic, political, and material dimensions of remediation: What stories live in the soil? What residues remain? And how might we compost harm into new forms of care?
Designed for artists, scientists, musicians, land stewards, and community members, each session blends ecological fieldwork, creative process, and collective reflection. No experience necessary—just curiosity, presence, and a willingness to get your hands dirty.
Workshop 1: Bioremediation 101—A Zine Workshop
October 11 | Trade School, Altadena, CA
How do we heal land and make meaning in the process? Can ecological remediation and creative practice bolster one another?
Join us for Bioremediation 101, the first of the three-part interdisciplinary series, Sense/Make, led by Dr. Danielle Stevenson of the Centre for Applied Ecological Remediation (CAER) to learn the basics of bioremediation theory and history including working with contaminated soils and employing fungi and plants for ecological healing. Through a combination of lecture and guided discussion, we’ll interlace case studies of Superfund sites and community gardens with personal stories of pollution in everyday life. Finally, we’ll synthesize the day’s findings in a hands-on zine-making workshop led by Arden Stern, a scholar of U.S. visual culture and co-founder of Trade School. Take your zine home or make copies to swap it with others!
Tea service provided by Shanhuan Manton.
Workshop 2: Fieldwork—Composing Soil
November 8 | Remediation Plot, Altadena, CA
Join us in the field at a bioremediation site! Learn about land through sensory experiments and create a collaborative “composition.”
What forms of life are present on a contaminated site? How do we attune ourselves to their needs in order to support a path to healing?
Join us for Fieldwork— Composing Soil, the second of the three-part interdisciplinary series, Sense/Make, in which we explore the ways in which ecological remediation and creative practice bolster one another. No previous workshop participation necessary.
Beginning on a field site in Altadena, learn how to safely interact with and explore a contaminated site with Dr. Danielle Stevenson of the Centre for Applied Ecological Remediation (CAER). Investigate the composition of soil by taking and analyzing environmental samples and attending a demonstration of remediation in-the-field. Tune in to land, plants, and fungi through sensory experiments in field sketching and recording led by Arden Stern and Casey Anderson, co-founders of Trade School.
Afterwards, gather at Trade School to assemble field notes into a shared "composition" of the day and enjoy seasonal soup by Altadena-based Sparkles Soup. Sketching and recording materials will be provided, though you're welcome to bring your own.
All participants will need to complete a waiver for entry onto a contaminated site. Proper PPE (including masks, gloves, and boot covers) will be provided. The first part of the workshop takes place at a remediation site where there will be limited hospitality and no facilities.
$5 RSVP rate | $8 day-of door rate (no one turned away for lack of funds). Refreshments provided.
30-person limited capacity (advance reservation encouraged)
This workshop is for ages 15+. For accessibility accommodations and questions, please contact aqz@fathomers.org.
Workshop 3: Lab—Microbes & Monsters, Tools for Healing
December 13 | CAER Lab, Torrance, CA
More information coming soon!
Image credit: Adam Armengual Slauson
Image credit: Adam Armengual Slauson
Image credit: Adam Armengual Slauson