Art & Science project being developed by Joanna Hoffmann with the ASN Team in the frame of the SPIN-FERT / Horizon Europe (Misson Soil) program
Memory Molecule 13 emerged from the Breath of Soil – Memory Nexus session held during the Policy Scoping Workshop organised by the Horizon Europe projects SPIN-FERT and Hort2theFuture (H2F) at the Research Executive Agency (REA) headquarters in Brussels on 3 March 2026.
The workshop brought together researchers, policymakers, representatives of the European Commission, industry, NGOs, and other stakeholders to discuss future EU policies on peat-free growing substrates and biostimulants. Alongside scientific presentations and policy discussions, participants were invited to engage in a different form of knowledge exchange: reflecting on their personal memories evoked by the smell of soil.
Their written recollections—beginning with the words “I remember…”—were transformed into Memory Molecule 13, an RNA-inspired sculpture and digital archive entry. Together, these memories reveal how sensory experiences, landscapes, family relationships, and childhood encounters with soil create a shared cultural dimension that complements scientific evidence and policy dialogue. Memory Molecule 13 demonstrates that the future of healthy soils depends not only on research and legislation but also on the emotional and cultural connections that people maintain with the living ground beneath their feet.
Click on the circles to uncover the lingering echoes of the past.
This composition is built upon the intricate secondary structure of RNA, which, like DNA, is composed of four essential bases: adenine, uracil, cytosine, and guanine ( denoted by the letters A, U, C and G ). Each RNA molecule folds into a unique shape, a structure dictated by the specific sequence and pairing of these bases. The resulting shape is crucial, as it determines the RNA's function within the cell. The Memory Molecule No5: 5'- GCAUAAUUAUGCAUUUCG -3'