Earth is created as a mixture of sand, clay and compost. Organic and inorganic matter is added to this base in the run-up to and during the exhibition, which is processed and composted to create new earth - called ‘Neosoil’ by Raza. A team of ‘cultivators’ will also be on site throughout the duration of the exhibition, constantly filtering, breaking down, analysing and remixing the soil under scientific supervision. The components collected in the region, such as sewage sludge, waste paper or hair, enrich the soil, which is given away as fertile soil to visitors, allotment associations and social organisations during the exhibition period.

At the invitation of Asad Raza, artists Maria Renee Morales Garcia and Agatha Gothe-Snape will add sculptural and performative moments of tension to the process alongside the sound work Ten Years Alive on the Infinite Plain by Tony Conrad. Earlier versions of Absorption were shown at the Kaldor Public Art Project (Sydney, 2019) and the Gropius Bau (Berlin, 2020).