(S)OIL
What if we transformed a disused petrol station into a vision of what comes after the end of oil? Taking control of the decommissioning process to plant and nurture sunflowers - harnessing and testing their soil remediating power in public spectacle as live scientific and artistic experiment.
What if a former petrol station becomes an invitation to remake our relationship with nature, the city and the systems we live in and a practical hub for abundant ways of powering ourselves and our communities. In the immediate absence of the petrol station I worked with another future relic of our fossil fuelled culture - a 1996 Ford transit recovery vehicle. It became a research and development vehicle - an experimental field laboratory on wheels, fuelled by sunflower oil and fuelling the work and collaboration needed to make this happen.
(S)OIL began participatory research, development and collaboration in 2025/26 thanks to a small grant from a Horizon Europe project called VOICE (https://www.voice-community.eu/). Through artist-led interventions (ATSIs), VOICE encourages citizen engagement to tackle local and regional environmental challenges effectively. This involved building key collaborations that include Dr Lorna Anguilano, director of the Experimental Techniques Centre at Brunel University and co-founder of Phyona. Thanks to London Fire Brigade’s Petroleum Enforcing Authority Team.
The project is continuing development now with a plan for long term public ecology and economic education on a petrol station site -from decontamination to circular economy. More at WWW.OPTIMISTICPRODUCTIONS.CO.UK
Work with sunflowers began by growing 10,000 in the local community as part of POWER STATION. This led to ongoing collaboration with these plants through print and photography
