An afternoon of talks exploring the formation, uses and impacts of stone from historical, geological, archaeological and artistic perspectives, introduced by sculptor, Senior Lecturer at Falmouth University, and granite enthusiast Dr David Paton.
Dr David Paton will offer a short review of the morning’s exploration of tooling marks found on granite buildings and structures in Helston, and an introduction to the afternoon’s speakers.
Helen Bowkett, Cornish hedger and co-founder of the Cornwall Rural Education and Skills Trust will present Life on the Hedge – a journey through time, from the practices of the earliest hedge builders to contemporary Cornish Hedge making.
Dr Caitlin Desilvey, Professor of Cultural Geography at the University of Exeter will present Making Monuments:The Tolmen Stone – a brief history of heritage legislation in England, told from the perspective of a giant granite boulder.
Dr Rose Ferraby, archaeologist and artist, will present A Stone in Time – offering insights into an archaeological approach to unearthing narratives of people and stone from the subsurface, and ways of storying our landscapes.
Rachael Jones, artist-filmmaker and researcher, will present Understanding change through filmmaking – an exploration of a filmmaking practice as a means of opening up new ways of knowing our environment.
Dr Beth Simons, Cornish granite specialist and geologist working in disaster response, will present In the Pluton Attic – an analysis of some of the geological features of the Tregonning Granite roof zone. Situated on the coastline between Rinsey and Megiliggar, this is a world class exposure of a pluton roof zone loved by granite geologists.
CAST Café is taking pre-bookings for a bowl of delicious soup and bread served in CAST’s learning studio at 1pm. A limited number of bookings are also available for tables in the Café.
The Saturday talks are part of Water and Stone/Dowr ha Men, a three-day celebration of granite, exploring the geological formation of the stone and its impact on landscape and built heritage, as well as the ways in which it is shaped by human industry and in turn shapes the lives of those who live and work with it. The event begins with a keynote by Dr Ruth Siddall on Friday evening and continues on Saturday with walks, talks and demonstrations, and on Sunday with more walks and a pigment workshop. Places for the walks are limited; those booking talk tickets will have the first opportunity to reserve places. Please look out for a confirmation email with your invitation to book.
Water and Stone is made possible by the support of Falmouth University, with FEAST, Cornwall Council, Arts Council England, Cornwall Community Foundation and Helston Town Council.