Record

Keynote: Iain Boal

Drawn from Nature: Extraction, Commodity, and Commons
7.30pm, Thursday 17 May
Methodist Church, Chapel Street, Penzance
Free event, open to all

‘Extraction’ is close to the heart of capitalist modernity, and Cornwall is a microcosm of that history. The discovery of a mountain of silver in Virreinato del Perú was the prelude to a story, rehearsed across the planet, of conquest and enclosure, mass migration and language extinction, boom and bust, accumulated wealth and hard-scrabble survival.

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Conference Presentations: Video Recordings

Conference proceedings at The Exchange on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 May were filmed by Rosanna Catterall and James Kelly, with the support of University College Falmouth.

Edited by James Kelly.

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South Crofty & CSM Test Mine

This field trip included visits to Carn Brea for an overview of the surface expression of historical mineral extraction between Redruth and Camborne; the surface workings at South Crofty, the last tin mine to cease production in 1998; the newly opened Heartlands ‘cultural playground’; and the underground workings of the Camborne School of Mines Test Mine, near Camborne. Artist Abigail Reynolds responds.

Field trip led by Robin Shail of Camborne School of Mines, University of Exeter.

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Great Condurrow Mine

Artist Lucy Gunning reflects on this field trip, which included an exploration of the upper levels of Great Condurrow, an eighteenth-century tin/copper mine, and visits to King Edward Mine and to the Analytical Lab at Camborne School of Mines.

Field trip led by Sam Hughes of Camborne School of Mines, University of Exeter.

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The Invisibles – emanations and extractions from Hot Rocks

Underlying the South West Peninsula is a great body, or batholith, of granite, that looms like Moby Dick from the deep.  It breaks the surface here and there, bringing topographic wonder and occasionally mineral wealth in the form of copper and tin and a host of other minerals such as lead, zinc, arsenic, silver and lesser amounts of tungsten, nickel and uranium.

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The Story of NPK

Falmouth-based writer Jo Thomas participated in this field trip, which traced the history of Cornwall’s agricultural industry through the landscape, visiting examples of Iron Age, Medieval, Pre-Industrial, and contemporary farming. The field trip was led by artist Paul Chaney and researcher Kenna Hernly, founders of FIELDCLUB, a collaborative art research project that investigates hypothetical, and at times post-apocalyptic, models of future land use and food production.

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Extracting Creativity

Described by Andrew Lanyon as an exercise in ‘streaming and open cast as opposed to deep mining of the imagination’, this workshop grew out of his continuing experimentation with ways of accessing inventiveness. The workshop was held in Alice Mumford’s studio-barn in Canonstown, near Hayle, and offered opportunities to make books and watch films. Amongst the participants were a group of seven Year 10 students from St Ives School, with their teacher Gizela Daemi-Rashidi.  Andrew Lanyon provided the following account of the workshop. Photographs by Maria Christoforidou and Gizela Daemi-Rashidi.

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Newlyn Fishing Industry

This field trip started with an early morning visit to the fish auction at Newlyn, led by Nick Howell, owner of The Pilchard Works, followed by breakfast in the Seamen’s Mission. The walk from Newlyn to Mousehole was led by Iain Boal, joined by a number of knowledgeable local residents along the way. Photographs by Chris Jones, captions by Hadrian Pigott.

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Coast to Coast

This field trip offered a 10-mile walk led by artist Billy Wynter and National Trust Countryside Manager and history enthusiast Jon Brookes. Photographs by Jane Robinson, introduction and captions by Billy Wynter.

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