At this time of year grass snakes are laying their eggs in warm incubating places like manure and compost heaps. Once the female has deposited the eggs she leaves and doesn’t return to rear the young.

Coates placed a pile of manure on the public square in front of the City Council Office. The public were invited to write a wish on a piece of paper and with the help of a long stick push the wish deep into the manure. At the end of the day, the manure, which was full of wishes was taken back to the farm and spread across soil that was growing crops. The wishes would then rot down and become part of the soil, entering into the food grown and in turn become part of us.

With thanks to Gerrit Rietveld College students

Commissioned and Produced by Public Works, Utrecht