Water and Stone 2023 | Dr Ruth Siddall

In October 2023 CAST hosted the second Water and Stone programme, a three-day celebration of granite, exploring the geological formation of the stone and its impact on landscape and built heritage, as well as the ways in which it is shaped by human industry and in turn shapes the lives of those who live and work with it.
On the evening of Friday 13 October urban geologist Dr Ruth Siddall gave the keynote talk, The Shape of Granite, in which she addressed the concept of shape as applied to bodies of granite, their constituent crystals, and how these features lead to their being further worked to form sculpture and building stones.
Dr Ruth Siddall is a geologist specialising in the study of minerals and rocks used in cultural heritage. She has worked extensively on the characterisation and analysis of artists’ pigments, ceramics and building materials, including mortars, bricks and stone. She is a co-author of The Pigment Compendium and is actively engaged in earth science related outreach. She is currently collaborating in research studying materiality with colleagues at UCL Slade School of Fine Art. She regularly leads guided walks unveiling the geological sources of London’s built heritage.
Water and Stone was led by sculptor, Senior Lecturer at Falmouth University and granite enthusiast Dr David Paton.
The talk was filmed by Cris and Molly of CM Productions.
Water and Stone/Dowr ha Men was made possible by the support of Falmouth University, with FEAST, Cornwall Council, Arts Council England, Cornwall Community Foundation and Helston Town Council. The project was also part-funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.