metallum
MA ARTS AND PLACE
Dartington Arts School
Metal mining on Dartmoor, materiality and ephemerality
exhibition works
-
Ore
Found oak timber from Kelly Mine, hand-carved channels stained with iron-rich water, and molten pewter reclaimed from second-hand tankards and vessels purchased at charity shops (some on Dartmoor)
Echoing the shape (as found) of mine engine houses, and suggesting the underground galleries/adits at mine sites. -
Descent
Found timbers from Kelly Mine, parts of an old launder (an open channel for transporting liquids or ore slurry).
Echoing the vertical shafts and horizontal galleries/adits in mining sites. -
Descent (detail)
Found timbers from Kelly Mine, parts of an old launder (an open channel for transporting liquids or ore slurry).
Echoing the vertical shafts and horizontal galleries/adits in mining sites. -
metallum
Rocks found at Kelly Mine, Wheal Betsy, and Vitifer mine, and molten pewter reclaimed from second-hand tankards and vessels purchased at charity shops (some on Dartmoor) -
Stamps
Cast iron objects on loan Kelly Mine and molten pewter.
Two heavy cast-iron stamp heads from an ore-crushing machine at Kelly Mine. Found by volunteers during restoration so were used when the site was active and were replaced because they had worn down. -
pinhole photographs
On found timber from Kelly Mine:
Top: Washing strips at Kelly Mine
Centre: Vitifer Mine
Bottom: Wheal Betsy - combined pinhole photo and photogram (the white lines below, representing hidden mining works, were made by laying grasses found at the site over the negative before it was exposed to create a positive image).
Three photographs to the right of Kelly Mine - all processed using a home-made sustainable developer made from plants and leaf litter gathered at the mining sites.
Top: Waterwheel
Centre: Headgear
Bottom: View of the buildings -
pinhole photographs
Taken using DIY cameras made out of old cardboard boxes and tins.
From left:
Triple exposure (three pinholes exposed simultaneously) of Wheal Betsy engine house near Tavistock.
Triple exposure of the reconstructed head gear at Kelly Mine.
Triple exposure (three pinholes exposed at different times in different locations, and rotated 180 degrees) at Vitifer Mine near the Warren House Inn.
Wheal Betsy engine house (now owned and managed by the NT) -
Shiny Ore
The glass trough contains a non-toxic iron mineral called Micaceous Haematite from Kelly Mine near Bovey Tracey. Visitors are encouraged to stir the water with the ladle and observe. The colour of the water is from a natural ochre (earth pigment) that is also found in the mine. MH was used as a protective additive in paints such as Battleship Grey.
