Stones

In 2018, as part of Boundary No Boundary, I collected 20 stones from along the Wakefield District Boundary line (one stone from each of the 3-mile-long sections). It was an impulsive act at the time and I wasn’t sure why I did that part of the project. I’m glad I did though, as they became an important part of the exhibitions. The stones were originally exhibited on a table made in the shape of the Wakefield District.

Details can be found here https://boundarynoboundary.wixsite.com/home/new-pag

I would often be asked what I intended to do with the stones after the project and I would reply, half-jokingly, that I intended to return them to their exact location at some point.

I put the stones away and out of my mind.

When I was creating the Andromeda exhibition I realised it was going into the same exhibition space at The Art House as Boundary No Boundary and 5 years exactly after I completed the Boundary No Boundary walk and the collection of the final stone. It seemed a fitting time to return them, with the last stone being replaced on the date (6th July) as it was collected 5 years previous.

Armed with OS coordinates of each stone that I handily noted back then I was able to return each stone to its exact location and view its surroundings. Had the landscape changed over the intervening years?

Here are the photographs of the 20 stones in their original location in 2018

Here are the photographs of the 20 stones back in their original location in 2023

I found the process very emotional. I guess I was retracing the steps of a younger self.

I also thought it was important.

I invited David Gilbert (the curator and collaborator on Boundary No Boundary) to witness the return of the final stone at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park on Thursday 6th July 2023