Rock Solid? Expo

Kendal Museum will be holding an exhibition of specially created artworks based on Lakeland Geology.  Lakeland geology is of intense interest as it is being considered for the geological disposal of high-level nuclear wastes. Associated with the exhibition will be a series of lectures and workshops examining this topic.

*In Lakeland's leaky geology*
* a huge mine 1000m deep x 26km square*
*to contain man's most long lasting ‘legacy’*

• Is it possible?  Is it ethical? 
• How will we tell future generations?
• Should we make more waste?

Guest Artist – Julian Cooper
"When a piece of land inclines toward the vertical our relationship towards it changes. We can no longer walk on it and it cannot grow food for us. So we either ignore it, or it becomes an aesthetic object in itself, akin to a work of art, or as a visible record of time and weather and geological change."

Guest artist is one of the UK’s leading mountain painters, Julian Cooper. Julian’s painting “Sawyers Wood” depicts quarried Cumbrian rock, breathtakingly seductive and ominous.  This visceral painting will take pride of place in Kendal Museum’s exhibition gallery.  The gallery appropriately has a floor of beautiful Lakeland stone.  

Josephina de Vasconcellos
We are also very excited to be able to exhibit previously unseen work from sculptress Josephina  de Vasconcellos.  In 1994, Josefina de Vasconcellos (then aged 90) got in touch with the anti-nuclear campaign group, CORE (Cumbrians Opposed to a Radioactive Environment).   She sent them a handwritten and illustrated set of papers in a critical response to the Sellafield Repository Project information leaflet and suggested that it should be re-drawn by a professional trade artist and as near as possible in style to the Sellafield original.   In her papers Josefina condemns nuclear energy in general but the underground dumping of nuclear waste in Cumbria’s fractured geology in particular.    Although CORE met up in Ambleside with Josefina several times, due to lack of funds, her leaflet was never produced and the papers have been gathering dust in CORE’s archives ever since.  Josefina died in 2005. 

Other artists taking part in this exciting and timely exhibition include Ian Walton, Pam Williamson, Deborah Nicholls, Marianne Birkby, Tony Riley, Geoff Read, Irene Sanderson, Stew Simpson and more.  The works take inspiration from Cumbria’s wonderfully diverse geological heritage and the plan to try to use that geology to contain man’s most long lasting legacy.

Marianne has created a catalogue to accompany the Rock Solid? exhibition which is available to view or purchase here
Please note: this link takes you to a website that is not under the control of Kendal Museum and it can not accept any responsibility for its content.

A series of events are taking place alongside the exhibition and include:

Saturday 10th March
Walk to the top of Scafell 
To experience the scale of 1000 metres deep – Scafell is 978 metres high.
Contact: wildart@mariannebirkby.plus.com  Tel: 015395 63671

Friday 6th Apri - 1-4.30pm l
Wild Water and Lakeland Rock
Watercolour media workshop
£15 materials provided. Please Book

Saturday 28th April - 1pm – 4pm £10
Future Language – creative art and science workshop. 
How do we warn future generations about nuclear waste deep underground?  Will they be warned or will the warnings be ignored as we ignore Ancient Egyptian curses.  Suitable for all.

Please Book

Thursday 10th May - 7pm – 8.30pm
‘Rock Solid?’ Lecture by Dr Helen Wallace author of ‘Rock Solid?’
A scientific review of geological disposal of high level radioactive waste and director of Gene Watch. Free  Please Book