A much closer look

We are now considering what text should accompany the art work and also the possibility of producing a small (very!) publication to accompany the launch to offer a bit of background to the artwork, for the curious.

Feeling I need some expert advice, not least to make sure I am getting the facts right, I contacted Peter Craig, the geologist from Tarland who came to Oldmeldrum a few moons ago, took us on a walk and gave a great talk on the geology of the area for the project, and tried to help us get our heads around the immense time frames we are dealing with when we are thinking about stone....Peter came back to me last night with some information about the approximate ages of the stone of the artwork , and it seems they might average at around 450 millions years old. He also pointed me to the website for the Dep of Earth Sciences at the University of Oxford where you can see close up images of stone taken by microscope. The three above are Gabbro, Gneiss and Granite .... the types I have selected for the petrospheres.

With support from Aberdeenshire Council, I am hoping that, concurrent to the installation we might be able to set up a small exhibition of original ancient stone balls drawing from the Aberdeenshire Council and University collections. I hope that this might be set up in the public library at Oldmeldrum Academy, where the school might have the opportunity to weave the project into their programme, and the whole community can breath in a little of the magic of these mysterious objects.

Even more stone carving action....

No its not me again.. despite the spherical nature of the stone block. During the NEOS ( North East Open Studios) week, which will also see artwork exhibited in Oldmeldrum Town Hall, the Scottish Sculpture Workshop (SSW)in Lumsden, is presenting The Lost Hand : which may be very worth going along to. I am minded of conversations with the masons at FGR which expressed concern for the lack of young blood coming through, and the prospective loss of a whole skills base in the area. While driving to and fro Oldmeldrum from Aberdeen, I heard on the radio that the govt are proposing to insist that any company contracted by the govt to carry out work, have a minimum number of apprenticeship opportunities. This, to me, seems like a good plan, providing it's implemented thoughtfully.

On Sundays 11 and 18 of September 2011, between 12 and 6pm, Scottish Sculpture Workshop will host craftsmen, tradesmen and artists from the Grampian region who will show their exceptional craftsmanship to the public. From kilt making to stone work, from wheel wrighting to wood graining and sign writing, SSW are looking to cover a whole range of crafts and trades while asking you where the future of these skills lies? During the week there will also be plenty of opportunity to get involved, with an art cafe, talks, workshops and potluck dinners.

For more info visit www.ssw.org.uk