| dc.description.abstract | People have varied and complex relationships with stone, in its raw geology and in its
altered forms. Often, however, in cultural contexts, stone remains in the background, as a
taken for granted and unremarkable element of the material world. In this thesis, stone
moves into the foreground. The research presented here explores how close attention to
those who work intimately with stone can disclose unexpected and absorbing stories. The
cultural geologies extracted and presented in this thesis cast light on the diversity of ways
in which people relate to, and with, the land; and experiment with a range of different ways
in which these relations can be narrated.
Set on the Jurassic Coast, in the south west of England, the stone exposures that emerge
along the margin between land and sea offer a productive site for developing a cultural
geological approach. The limestones, shales and clays are framed, in this work, by the
narratives of quarrymen and geologists. The work explores how their particular knowledges
are formed, and how they exist within wider historical and ecological understandings. Their
narratives bring the stratigraphy to life, and draw attention to the hidden worlds within it.
The different priorities and perspectives of quarrymen and geologists are shown to lead in
different directions, interweave, or run parallel. The very specific languages and
descriptions they employ reveal a level of complexity and richness of detail that is mirrored
in the stone.
Using an approach that combines close observation and creative practice, this study
examines stone at a variety of scales, and in different contexts. The work engages with
specific stone types, landscapes, voids, buildings and objects. Processes of working stone
through practices of lettering, sculpture and masonry elicit understandings of the material
that reach far beneath its surface. The absent spaces of quarries are then explored, showing
how voids can be animated with knowledge, and how destructive processes can generate
creative potential, when sensitively worked and considered. Lastly, the study draws all
these ideas together in a discussion of stone assemblages in buildings, to see how voices
from geology and quarrying can foster greater understanding of how buildings were
constructed in the past, and how we conserve them into the future. | en_GB |
