Cornish Mining

 

“Art does not reproduce the visible; rather, it makes visible.” Paul Klee.

Cornish Mining World Heritage is one of the great industrial landscapes of the world, with World Heritage status (valued alongside the Taj Mahal and Stonehenge for its world importance. ) Cornwall has more derelict, post-industrial land than anywhere else in the UK, and a unique natural environment as a direct result of tin and copper-mining industry.
Its an interesting statistic that over 30% of Cornwall’s prime wildlife sites contain abandoned metalliferous mining land. Many of these landscapes are being regenerated naturally with unusual and unique flora adapted to the specific soil conditions.
Randall intends to explore the unique post-industrial ecology and botany of the Cornish Mining World Heritage sites as a different way of telling its story, highlighting distinctiveness in the heritage sites, and to use this research to develop exhibitions, arts events, workshops and publications.

From Feb-Oct 2016, Randall  had the major solo exhibition, ‘Aftermath’, at Geevor Tin Mine World Heritage Site Museum, Pendeen,  Cornwall, with over 30,000 visitors from all over the world ,and creative engagement activities. ‘Aftermath’ was the first exhibition aiming to explore the sites of Cornish World Heritage Mining from a visual arts perspective, creating innovative new artworks, and engaging local communities and visitors to the sites.

Jill has recently won a Santander Universities Travel Award to travel to sites of the Cornish metal mining diaspora in Australia and Mexico in 2017 to research an arts and industry project investigating both the physical ‘aftermath’ mining landscapes, and the transplantation of Cornish culture in these places.
Randall will visit and present to mining and Cornish heritage organisations, as well as Universities and arts organisations, researching and collecting information for future exhibitions, artists residencies and academic research projects in both countries, linked by the narrative of metal.