Jaimini Patel

27 Oct

Written By Vickie Hayward

Jaimini Patel
Autopoietic
In Progress

Test Hugel built for the Cherwell Collective.

Test hügel for the Cherwell Collective built with BFA/MFA students from The Ruskin School of Art.

Test hugel build for the Cherwell Collective.

Seed and specimen collecting.

Oxford Brookes collaborative students research project with Digital Craft in Architecture (MA) programme.

Anthotype workshop with the Cherwell Collective.

Seed and specimen collecting.

Curation and commissioning for Oxford University Development. Jaimini Patel is Begbroke Innovation District's first artist-in-residence. Appointed in the autumn of 2023 by Oxford University Development, Patel has been exploring the site through self-sustaining systems and permaculture.

Over the course of the residency Patel has led a variety of creative workshops and events, from a deep listening exercise with farmers to a collaborative permaculture research project with Oxford Brookes students from the Digital Craft in Architecture MA programme.

Patel’s research and time onsite led her to the practice of Hügelkultur – a self-watering, self-tilling, and self-fertilising system, an ancient no-dig growing technique used by many indigenous cultures worldwide. This zero-waste method uses material that would be discarded, such as logs, branches, cardboard, leaf litter and food scraps. The decomposing wood releases water and nutrients, acting as a sponge and ensuring resilience to both flood and drought. Hügels (from the German ‘hill’ or ‘mound’) can be self-sustaining for up to two decades.

Autopoietic is a slow work that will continue to develop over the coming years.

Company
Jaimini Patel, Sarah Alun-Jones, Hawkins/Brown, OKRA, Zetteler, Cherwell Collective, Digital Craft in Architecture (MA) Students from Oxford Brookes and BFA/MFA students from The Ruskin School of Art.