A visual exploration of the ‘clay hypothesis’, the theory according to which clay helped the evolution of early life forms.With ‘Vital Mud’, Dutch artist Hiske Altena explores the theory that life on Earth once began in clay. In the 1980s, her uncle, now a retired geologist, found an unusual stone that rattled. Within this stone, he discovered organic-looking structures which he could not easily explain using existing geological theories. The so-called “clay hypothesis”, however, seemed to offer a better explanation. This is the basis on which Altena builds a collection of images intended to shift our perspective, prompting a re-examination of the evolution of early life forms and the capabilities of humans themselves. In the process, she reminds us that science is a continuous search for the unknown.With ‘Vital Mud’, Dutch artist Hiske Altena explores the theory that life on Earth once began in clay. In the 1980s, her uncle, now a retired geologist, found an unusual stone that rattled. Within this stone, he discovered organic-looking structures which he could not easily explain using existing geological theories. The so-called “clay hypothesis”, however, seemed to offer a better explanation. This is the basis on which Altena builds a collection of images intended to shift our perspective, prompting a re-examination of the evolution of early life forms and the capabilities of humans themselves. In the process, she reminds us that science is a continuous search for the unknown.