This is the dissertation for my Fine Art degree. 
 
It explores the use of a contemporary art practice as a tool for investigating the natural world. It focuses on several artists that show us wild plants and soil as they are. The title borrows Goethe's term,'a living understanding of nature'. It's aim is to encourage us to develop our sensory capacities in order to gain a deeper understanding of the botanical world and the soil that supports it. It seeks to develop an alternative approach to learning about and investigating our world than the current scientific approach.