Soil unsoiled

Khady Gueye and Zakiya McKenzie//Forest of Dean Sculpture Trust

‘Soil unsoiled’ is a poem that explores themes drawn from the lived experience of Khady Gueye, a local resident and native of the Forest of Dean, and the racial inequalities that she has faced and witnessed. As the founder of the Local Equality Commission in the Forest, Khady works with rural communities to combat racial and economic inequality through supporting local initiatives, inspiring youth and bringing people together in order to enact fundamental change.

Working together with Bristol-based academic, broadcaster, nature-writer and poet Zakiya McKenzie, the pair have created a powerful, poetic work. A film directed by Gloucestershire-based Rebecca Achieng Ajulu-Bushell is also being made about the project.

The sculpture for Soil Unsoiled was developed by myself in conversation with Khady and Zakiya. We wanted to create a meaningful addition to the sculpture trail. A moment to pause and reflect on the words and the world around us. The charred timber references the local tradition of charcoaling in the Forest of Dean as well as acting as a natural preservative for the timber. The monolithic nature was partly inspired by the Stanley Kubrick film 2001: A Space Odessy. In the film, a mysterious black monolith appears to represent or even trigger epic transitions of human evolution by imparting knowledge to those that encounter it. It is hoped that the words of Khady and Zakiya might help to so the same to bring about a more equal society.