An appropriated reproduction of the original copy of William Smith’s 1815 Geological map currently on display at the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Science in Cambridge. This work presents us with a series of delineated absences where coalfields, which Smith originally highlighted in undulations of grey, have been physically extracted by Lucas and replaced with a black substance laced with coal dust. Through this act the coal is centralised as Lucas’ subject, and the reproduction of the map becomes a conduit for the materiality it represents.
For Lucas, Smith’s map symbolises a shift towards perceiving nature as an industrial product to be exploited. Not only is this a stunningly beautiful illustration of the rich and varied geology of Britain; it is also a blueprint that in-part enabled the language of geology as a science to infiltrate the materiality of the strata beneath our feet, and with it unravel the cultural and folkloric meanings that underpinned a place-based sense of intrigue and belonging across the landscapes of Britain.
Documentation: Jules Lister