La Comunitat

I was looking for signs of permaculture farming when I arrived in the village of Oristà. With my merging practice of growing food combined with making visual art objects, I wanted to learn about the soil composition around the village. On daily hikes I discovered some instances of permaculture—lofty and stalky grasses grew on the banks of the Riera Gavarresa, were put to use. Those grasses were fastened together as structural trellises in support of vining vegetables. Still, I wanted to learn more about the local soil.

The following day I saw loose stones in the bank of a roadside hill. Within the gravel, I saw something with a familiar pattern. Upon exploring the ground I realized that it was a piece of broken pottery. I saw another shard, and more partially buried pieces of classic terra cotta. On top of the hill was a dwelling capped with Spanish tiles. It made sense that bits of the roof could end up breaking and eroding down the hillside. This fact did not explain why fractured ceramic wares, like broken cups, plates and vessel handles were strewn throughout the grade. This discovery had me thinking if it is customary for residents to toss out broken dishes as a way to return the earthenware back to the earth. I’ve used clay pellets and broken flower pots in the garden by means for water retention as a soil additive. Surprised to find more ceramics broken in the roads, trails, and adjacent fields, it informed me about a community principle of permaculture—a sign that I was looking for.