This December, Lethaby Gallery at Central Saint Martins presents Soil, Toil & Table, a pioneering exhibition exploring our complex relationship with land, food production, culture, consumption and waste.
Running from 5 December 2024 – 25 January 2025, the exhibition is uniquely driven by the creative body at Central Saint Martins, entirely curated by current students and recent graduates. Featuring over 70 thought-provoking works created by students,
alumni and staff, each artwork offers an innovative approach to some of today’s most urgent global issues.
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Left to right: Ralph Ball, ’Foundation&Elevation, 2024; Rachel Ruiyi Yang, ’The Restaurant’, 2024; Yu Xinn, 2024. Courtesy University of the Arts London (UAL).
Spanning disciplines including fashion, installations, bio-inspired sculptures and ecological design, the works explore how we engage with our food systems, shedding light on critical issues such as environmental degradation, cultural disconnects and unsustainable
practices. The exhibition showcases creative interpretations that not only highlight these challenges but also present pathways for sustainable solutions, emphasising our collective role in reducing waste, fostering food literacy and supporting regenerative
practices.
From innovative uses of discarded materials to community focused storytelling, the exhibition invites visitors to engage with radical perspectives on how we grow, consume, and waste food. Visitors can feel, smell and even taste elements of the natural world,
experiencing the exhibition as a holistic journey that brings them closer to the origin and impact of their food choices.
For instance, one exhibit repurposes used coffee grounds to create sustainable dining ware, showcasing how waste can be transformed into everyday objects that serve and remind us of the circular nature of our resources. Another piece documents London’s reawakened
interest in allotments and urban gardening spaces, providing insight into how city dwellers are reclaiming their right to grow food and fostering local, accessible food sources in the process. Other installations dive into the landscapes that support our agriculture,
including audio-guided walks through UK farmland that allow visitors to immerse themselves in the sounds and narratives of rural spaces, offering a meditative experience on the textures and sounds of food production landscapes.
Fergus Main, Co-Curator of Soil, Toil & Table said “Soil, Toil & Table is born out of exploration into the UK farming industry and the challenges faced by those producing from the soil that sustains us. Those themes grew to encompass how creatives at Central
Saint Martins are working in response to the challenges we collectively face in increasingly industrialised food systems and our relationships with the produce we create, consume and waste.
“This exhibition could not be more relevant – where mountains of produce sits rotting, farmers field their discontent at Governments, consumers stray further from the roots of produce consumed and affording a balanced diet is becoming ever more costly, we are
showcasing work that reconnects us with our roots and raptures we thrive from.”
Known for showcasing innovative and inspiring exhibitions, Lethaby Gallery continues to provide a platform for creative exploration and meaningful dialogue around pressing global issues.
