THE WOOL PROJECT
While spending the day with Tanja and her sheep I learned that in the Netherlands we have a problem of nitrogen and that it is choking our soils. To fix that, the Dutch government unblocked a budget to hire shepherd and sheep to help regulate it. However only 20% of the landscape is preserved and if we do nothing species will die.
Sheep can sense proteins in the plants and are eating a bit of everything, so they can help preserve 100 species by m2 by grazing, but also walking and pooping. The country was divided in zones and an ecologist came to say how many days sheep need to graze before moving to the next one. Nowadays that’s where the money is, wool, milk and meat are only byproducts.
I decided to focus on three aspects of this story :
1 - how we miss shepherds and sheep to graze and help preserving the landscape.
2 - How because of this, only 20% of the landscape is preserved
And finally an ideal scenario where we can preserve it all and 100% of the landscape is taking cared of.
59,4 x 84,1 cm wool posters
Only 20% of the landscape is preserved
For one shepherd, we need 100 sheep. They are mostly females and the colours on their but helps to know what stage of gestation they are on
An ideal scenario where 100% can be preserved
A day with the shepherd Tanja, and her sheep
Samples
Natural dyes on the wool with plants : nettles, walnuts, spinach, red onions grass and dock
In addition to the three physical translations I draw 5 others possibilities representing : how sheep sense proteins in the plants and decide what they want to eat. How that’s where the money is nowadays and that meat, milk and wool are only byproducts. How the stomping of the sheep is helping the soil. How we can preserve 100 species per m2 if the sheep graze. And finally the zones where the sheep graze and how many days they have to before moving to the next one.
