Dhe’n Nor: Infected Ground
Dhe’n Nor, meaning “Infected Ground” in Cornish, explores the lasting impact of the mining industry on both land and people. Embedded within Cornwall’s heritage and my family’s connection to it, the work reflects on how landscapes are exploited, contaminated, and ultimately abandoned in the name of progress and profit. Rusted steel, ceramics, found fragments, and a bronze cast of mine waste echo the physical and social scars left behind. Presented on a rust-stained concrete plinth, the installation references both industrial materiality and environmental contamination.
By casting waste in bronze, a material associated with permanence and value, the work questions what we choose to preserve, commemorate, or discard, challenging how the remnants of exploitation are often overlooked once their economic value has disappeared.