On the Moor

摘要

Arriving at Nic Collins's pottery in Moretonhampstead on Dartmoor in February 2005, we saw two stones, recent experimental work by Collins, each standing a metre high in the grass, their surfaces richly encrusted. The deep cracks spoke of erosion; shells and embedded stones were reminiscent of fossils; the colours subtle and sympathetic: work that resonated with prehistory. These forms became central to our project, Walking Stones, in which sixteen Year 8 students of Axe Valley Community College in Axminster, Devon, and I as their teacher, would study the geology of Dartmoor by experimenting with the process of firing ceramics. Through these stones we could explore the ancient history of the moor and awaken the imaginations of the students, interpreting the megaliths and stone rows dotting the bleak moorland regions. The firing experience would also give a sense of the transformation that occurs within the geological processes when extreme heat is applied to sedimentary deposits.