Growth Between the Cracks is a sprouting installation by Alan Sonfist inviting participants to grow new life out of local soil samples from neglected or mundane urban spaces, presented at the exhibition Seeds of Time.

Seeds of Time is an exhibition of Land and Earth Art pioneer Alan Sonfist’s works curated by Marco Scotini and first presented at the experimental art centre Parco Arte Vivente (PAV) in Turin, Italy. Through the medium of photographs, videos and archive materials, the collection focuses on his early years, the 1960s and 1970s, and so highlights his role as a forerunner of ecological thought and expression. Sonfist’s lifelong elemental practice expands the concept of community to include non-human beings.

Growth Between the Cracks stands out among the works as a new installation for which participants are asked to collect soil samples from the gaps, breaks, and other small liminal spaces in the local urban landscape. These are brought to an inaugural sprouting that continues to grow for the duration of the exhibition. Sonfist sees his installations as public monuments celebrating the entire natural ecosystem rather than just human history, thus revitalising a place’s environmental history and overlooked species.

Part of Re-Imagine Europe – New Perspectives for Action. Co-funded by the European Union. Seeds of Time is made possible with the support of Compagnia di San Paolo, Fondazione CRT, Regione Piemonte, and the City of Turin.

Premiere: Parco Arte Vivente, 2025 (IT)
This work is available for touring.
Further enquiries: info@parcoartevivente.it