OEFE – Of Earth for Earth

OEFE Exhibition in Heartlands, Cornwall

The Of Earth, For Earth exhibition was conceived over a year ago, as an important activity of the IMP@CT mining project, which was funded by the EU Horizon 2020 programme, and involved participants from across Europe and the Balkans. Art and mining are perhaps strange bedfellows, but the open call evoked a fantastic response from artists across the UK.
As the submissions for the exhibition arrived, the concept of the show began to take shape. Artist-led workshops were planned, and satellite sites considered. The venue was the engine house at Heartlands, with its atmospheric and evocative traces of past mining machinery and the inlaid tracks of trains crossing the concrete floor.
Six artists were chosen from the applications to exhibit, and a further five for inclusion in a book, which aims to reflect the many voices, opinions and responses of those involved in all aspects of mining activities.

The exhibited artists were Heidi Flaxman, James Hankey, Jack Hirons, Josie Purcell, Dan Pyne and Henrietta Simson. Also included in the book were Alison Cooke, Oliver Raymond-Barker, Alan Smith, Heather Wilson and Chloe Uden (Energy & Art). More information on the artists can be found at https://www.oefe.co.uk/ 

The exhibition took place in early March, 2020 to coincide with the IMP@CT Final Conference, which drew together mining professionals, academics, artists, schools and the public over four days. It happened to be also when the severity of the coronavirus was beginning to be felt, and though it managed to go ahead just before lockdown was imposed across the UK, it meant that some delegates were unable to attend in person. So the Of Earth, For Earth book became more important, in reaching a wider audience, and conveying the richness of the relationships possible when mining and the arts coincide. Follow our story here >>