travel to UK

["Portland Sculpture and Quarry Trust" <psqt@zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz>]

Hello Judy,

I'm Hannah, and have been working with the Portland Sculpture & Quarry
Trust (Learningstone) since 1983 when the project first started. I look
forward to meeting you and can show you the many sculptures in the quarry.
I initially became involved in the project as a sculptor - through making
a work in response to the Quarry environment - and realised that this is a
special place for learning about the stone, the landscape, the geology and
have since been recording the knowledge of working stone in the landscape
in which it was formed. This has involved learning directly from the
people on Portland who have had the skills and traditions handed down for
7 or 8 generations. Whilst this has been of great importance in terms of
preserving skills and knowledge - the most important factor for the artist
continues to be the inspiration gained from the landscape itself,
influenced by the the balance of elements - sea, sky and stone.

We have an archive of interviews with quarrymen and stone masons, artists
working processes, students development of ideas and work developed during
our one week stone carving and sculpture workshops during the summer -
These are held weekly throughout May to September . The courses are for
beginners and all levels of skill , and for many people who come to carve
for the first time the experience of working in the heart of the quarry,
is a powerful inspiration for their work. Tout Quarry is around 240 years
old with quarry workings that have been naturally regenerated with rare
grasses, butterflies, orchids and sculpture discreetly made, to be
discovered within the fabric of the quarry. Carving the stone is
influenced by the special qualities of natural light - with Portland
having a very clean air and height due to its position pointing into the
English Channel- into the direction of the prevailing winds with the
nearest land being South America- There is a unique story to be discovered
here of environments in which the stone was formed 135 million years ago -
environments where sunlight interacted with minerals in shallow tropical
sea water during the jurassic period laying down sediments that formed a
unique oolitic limestone - known worldwide as Portland stone - described
by Nicholas Pevsner as the finest of carving stones, soft enough to carve
yet extremely durable.

We are currently involved in a very exciting project to create a new
landscape in Independent Quarry linked to the Learningstone Centre ( the
old Drill Hall) on Easton Lane. This has involved incorporating the ideas
of artists working with the community, industry, earth scientists,
architects, landscape designers, ecologists and educationalists.
Independent will be a new landscape for the 21st Century brought into new
and sustainable use when quarrying ends in two years time. As a part of
the regeneration programme we will be holding yearly International Stone
Symposiums for carving and sculpture - with the first event being planned
for 2006. The Learningstone centre is a key education and interpretation
initiative for the Dorset and East Devon World Heritage Coast - recently
awarded this status for its outstanding geology of earth importance and we
look forward to meeting you here at on Portland at Learning Stone. If you
can let me know when you will be arriving we can send more detailed
directions.

 Hannah

On Wednesday, November 3, 2004, at 06:01 pm, Judy Buswick wrote: