A group exhibition exploring themes of land, excavation, history, material & alchemy.

Nathaniel Faulkner
Anna Hughes
Ian Jackson
Hannah Rowan
Jessica Wetherly

In the early 1820’s, a remarkable discovery was made in the hillside above Wirksworth. Known as the Dream Cave, this natural cavern on the hillside looked to house the remains of several animals, along with a series of minerals and rock fragments. Amongst the remains were that of a Coelodonta antiquitatis, better known as the Woolly Rhinoceros.

The discovery of these remains could be thought of as purely of archaeological interest, however it could point to a more expanded idea, that of time itself. The remains of an animal, once known for its physical prowess and stature, has been slowly transformed into delicate fragments that speak of a time lost to history. The discovery of something connecting us to the past allows us to think of our relationship with our present circumstance in different ways. What remains will be excavated from our present in centuries or millennia to come, and how do objects of ancient history tell something of that time.

This exhibition, which takes its name from the discovery in question, explores our relationship with ideas of excavation, land preservation, history, alchemy and how stories can be told through objects.

This is the first in a series of new projects curated by Kristian Day & David McLeavy, most of which will take the form of group exhibitions of early to mid-career artists based in the UK.

kristianday.co.uk
davidmcleavy.info

Launch: Friday 6th May, 6 - 8pm