ABSTRACT
Hirneisen's work exploring the reactivity of soils in terms of how they react with glass in the kiln initiated a series of conversations concerning the notion of scale and the aesthetic symbolism of this interaction, including the soil's role in shaping our sense of home and identity. Physical, chemical, and biological phenomena involving soil minerals begin at the nanometer scale. However, the impacts of soil minerals can have a regional to global significance. Here we explore how fine-scale properties of soil minerals impact our local experience of home as well as the global challenges we face in the twenty-first century, including food security and climate change.
