Banff Centre Spoken Word Residency - Day 10

Wednesday, April 26

Individual Studio Time

Geology Talk and Walk

Rick Miller, Dragonfly Documentary

This morning I was greeted by a deer as I walked from the accommodation to my studio. How I will miss moments like this when I return to Newcastle!

I spent the majority of the day editing the sound files that I had recorded yesterday and practicing my performance for Saturday.

In the afternoon I attended Jim's talk on the geology of Banff. Most of the mountains in Banff are metamorphic rocks (Sedimentary rocks that have been heated or compressed). Limestone is most commonly found in Banff. There are parts of the mountains that are composed of clastic rock. Clastic rocks are composed of fragments, or clasts, of pre-existing minerals and rock. A clast is a fragment of geological detritus, chunks and smaller grains of rock broken off other rocks by physical weathering. One way of distinguishing the difference between limestone and clastic rock is by looking at the snow on the rocks - clastic sediments gather snow more than limestone.

The other day at lunch I got talking to a couple of film makers who are on a short residency here. 

Tonight I met up with Rick to discuss the work that he and I are currently doing, and our links with mental health organisations. Rick is working on a project investigating the links between creativity and mental health difficulties. He is going to be interviewing 'mad artists' and showcasing the work that they make. The term 'mad artist' is not one that I am familiar with, and I was a little embarrassed to ask Rick to explain what he meant by it. He handed me a scrap of paper from his jacket pocket. 









There was this short explanation of the term, and Rick was proud to inform me that the definition had been written by the Canada Council. 

Mad arts

"Mad is framed as a social and political identity by people who have been labelled as mentally ill or as having mental health issues. Rather than focusing on awareness and coping with stigma, Mad Pride focuses on expressing the unique ways people experience the world in terms of making meaning, developing communities, and creating culture. Mad arts is the artistic exploration of Mad Pride focusing on mad histories and identities."

Canada Council

It is really encouraging to know that the Canadian Council have such a good understanding of the situation and are keen to support Mad Pride.

Crystal formation by Bernardo Cesare

Bernardo Cesare's entry to the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition features a crystal formation that came about half a billion years ago,after a geological event in Kerala, India, at extreme heat deep within the continental crust.The black mineral is graphite, traversing panels of quartz and feldspar. 

See more at: http://www.nhmshop.co.uk/prints/wildlife-photographer-of-the-year-2014/kaleidoscope-wall-print.html#sthash.jhkRsPqp.dpuf

Kamchatka Ice Caves

I am continually discovering new sources of inspiration and love it when people introduce me to unfamiliar artists, concepts, places and 'things' from which I can learn.

A friend recently told me that at the weekend he was looking at some photos of the Kamchatka Ice Caves and they made him think about my work. Quite rightly, he thought I would be interested in the colours, surfaces and forms of these places of beauty.



Kamchatka Ice Cave, by Russian nature photographer Denis Budko

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheDOipY3m7yvXqWrN2tAu2UrHLOZMLnhyphenhyphen1v2eRLq8CnXw1pFs0gusoOgM7KMDoczyq6iiamRb1rwuSONFWiYzyyyyb_RUHgpJSX9KOiklQpqjsDu_JEUpSWCZnFX6_MWZkpPMUBKasF0Hy/?imgmax=800



Mutnovsky is a complex volcano located in the southern part of Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia. It is one of the most active volcanoes of southern Kamchatka; the latest eruption was recorded in 2000. At the foot of the Mutnovsky lies a geyser field, popularly known as the Lesser Valley of Geysers.

http://www.pixohub.net/2013/07/mutnovsky-kamchatka-peninsula-russia.html



Kamchatka Ice Cave, by Russian nature photographer Denis Budko

http://viola.bz/beautiful-kamchatka-ice-cave-by-photographer-denis-budko/

Harold Fisk's 'Ancient Courses Mississippi River Meander Belt' maps

"Ancient Courses Mississippi River Meander Belt is a map created by cartographer and geologist Harold Fisk for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Each plate shows a different portion of the Mississippi river and its various courses through time between Cape Girardeau, MO and Donaldsonville, LA—some of these channels date back thousands of years.

The maps were part of his report Geological Investigation of the Alluvial Valley of the Lower Mississippi River completed in 1944. The study was made to learn about the formation of the valley over time, and about the major factors that dictate its flow and flooding in the modern era. The data was collected by creating approximately 16,000 borings so that layers of soil and deposits of sediment from the river's prior courses deep underground could be analyzed.

Fisk drew more than geographic data—he also found the river’s heart in this jumble of loops and purls. The river finds its personality reflected in this explosive, autumn-colored palette, its constantly churning rhythm shaping the soil, digging out a constantly changing place so distinctively its own. From prehistory to the 20th century, these maps are made for the ages."

http://20x200.com/products/plate-22-sheet-6-ancient-courses-mississippi-river-meander-belt

Thomas Sopwith's wooden geological teaching models

Thomas Sopwith was an engineer and surveyor. He used his experience of being the son of, and apprentice to a builder and cabinet maker, and produced a number of wooden geological teaching models. 

Wooden geological model (number VIII from the 4 inch set), for illustrating geological rock structures

The different types of wood represent different geological formations, highlighting the orientation of mineral veins and coal seams under the ground. The models are based on measurements of mining districts from the North of England.

http://www.hps.cam.ac.uk/whipple/explore/models/geologicalmodels/

Bedrock Geology

Nigel (one of the 2nd year MFA students) and I share a love of maps, and we have had some great discussions about our work in relation to the landscape, rock formations and natural and manmade materials.

He brought in a type of map that I have never seen before, and introduced me to the wonders of Bedrock Geology.

Bedrock geology (formerly known as 'solid' geology by British Geological Survey) is a term used for the main mass of rocks forming the Earth and present everywhere, whether exposed at the surface in outcrops or concealed beneath superficial deposits or water. The bedrock has formed over vast lengths of geological time ranging from ancient and highly altered rocks of the Proterozoic, some 2500 million years ago, or older, up to the relatively young Pliocene, 2.6 million years ago.

http://www.bgs.ac.uk/products/digitalmaps/digmapgb_solid.html

The key to the map is a beautiful thing, let alone the map.







The colour schemes within the map are uncanningly similar to the colours used within some of my forms.