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Tuesday August 19

Today was a day of getting things set up so no actual sculpting as of yet.

I will try to explain my understanding of why I am here. Portland is home to several Limestone quarries, some new and active, and others old and abandoned.

The PSQT (Portland sculpture and quarry trust) is a group that is taking 2 quarries, one old and abandoned, the "TOUT QUARRY". The other, the "INDEPENDENT QUARRY" is a recently closed quarry..

Both Quarries are to be reclaimed into sculpture parks.

Tout has been developed for a while now and is grown in with natural plants taking back the landscape.
It has several sculptures in amongst the hills and left over stone

The Independent Quarry has been recently abandoned and is made up of barren cliffs and piles of remnant boulders.

This is where I have the honor of being the first stone sculptor to create a piece for this new project, on site.

The quarry will become, in time for the 2012 Olympics, the site of a sculpture park, a research area for geology, a plant regeneration site and a place for paleontological studies. Independent quarry will also serve as an education center for stone sculpting and a historical site mining and uses of Portland stone.
It is being developed in conjunction with the UK's 2012 cultural Olympiad and the Arts Council Southwest.  With strong contribution from the Albion Stone / PLC.
My being here is a cultural link for Canada to be part of an international group of contributors for this site.  Canada is a strong supporter of site reclamation and environmental cleanup of its mining and oilfields. It leads in new ways of echo conservation of such sites. Being here, I see this site has ability to show the necessity for cultural and environmental responsibilities, as a goal for our future.

Wednesday August 20

Well I finally got to break stone.
I started sculpting today....
I am still not fully clear what I am going to create, but I have a general idea, so I figure I will just start working the stone, and my ideas will eventually show through.
I want to create something interactive, that children, can touch and take photos being part of the sculpture.
The rest I will let unfold in time.

First pics are some of the views on the island of Portland.

Thursday August 21

Today was straight cutting....
As of yet I have sculpted a big hole!
Here is a comparison first picture is what I accomplished yesterday.
Second is what I did today.
3rd is me showing actual size of the hole.

Friday August 22

Saturday August 23
So last night introduction of another member to the Symposium

Cristina Ferrandez Box
From Asturias, Spain is doing a video and photographic documentary of the Quarry reclamation, the Island of Portland, the sculpting of stone, and the history of it all.

More detail of her project can be referenced at.

www.cristina-ferrandez.blogspot.com

The Quarry trust project is becoming a collaboration
of many aspects.
Including film makers.
Musicians
Artists
Sculptors, like myself
Geologists
Quarry men.
Stone masons.
Historians
Landscape architects.
Educators
Ecologists
Stone Industry
And communities.

It has also gained recognition as a UNESCO heritage site

As for me today was another day hard at the grind.
I finally reach the end of my tunneling and can now start working on bringing out my shapes.
Still lots to go.
But I am still chipping away.
Here is my day’s progress.

Sunday August 24

Well today being Sunday
I took a day of rest.
No sculpting.
Instead I decided to walk around the entire Island.
The walk took about 6 hours.
And was full of amazing sites.
On the sea and in the land.
Pictures will follow

Here are a few pics...

Monday August 25

Well today saw a new face...
Another sculptor has joined me in the quarry
to work on his own sculpture.

Pat Walls from Holmfirth, of West Yorkshire
He well start his 2 week project today and will continue after I am gone.
Tomorrow will see the arrival of a group of 85 from Holland.

Today my sculpting caught the attention of a helicopter.
The Chopper returned for a second look then hovered over for a while....  

Cristina Fernandez Box , of Spain, came by as well  to do some filming of us sculptors, and the Quarry environment for her documentary.

In all it was a good day, with a mild sun and strong winds to blow the dust away.

Here is my progress for the day.

Tuesday August 26

Today saw chipping of stone against the passing of time.
Progress is slow, and my days are running out.
My last day to do any sculpting will be Friday.
So it will tight to get all my intended ideas sculpted.

Pictures show my progress to date.

With the arrival of some of the sculptors from Holland the evening was filled with interesting conversation on life and the cultural difference of our countries and on people’s observations on the world.

Wednesday August 27

Today saw the remaining sculptors from Holland
arrive.  The first pictures are of them surveying the new site
for ideas, and to understand the nature of the site.

Here is pat working on his project.

And here is where I am at the end of the day.
I will explain the meaning of the sculpture when it is complete.

Thursday August 28

Well the day was a hard push.
But I did bring it to a near finish.
And few touch ups and finito....

In the evening we met with the Dutch group.
A friendly group of sculptors that have been working together since 1985.
They have been coming to Portland to do sculptures every year.
They have strong support and firm belief in the project, and have given so much.

Here are my pictures of progress today.

Friday August 29

Being my last day to see Portland, I finished my work by adding my name and decided it will be as it is.

I then took more time to see the other sculptors, and the sites.

                                       
 Portland Independent Quarry Project

Sculpture By Stephen Yettaw

“ Untitled”

August 31, 2008

To Title this sculpture just did not seem fitting.
The Site, and content of the sculpture, could not be summed in a few words.

I was invited to Portland, UK to create a limestone sculpture in the Independent Quarry.
It was to be a form of self giving back to the earth, and a cultural exchange between Canada and the UK.  A monumental start of the world working toward the 2112 Olympiad.

I came to the quarry not knowing what I was intending to sculpt.

I needed it to be:

: Interactive and interesting for children

: Large and memorable in size

: Site significant

: Relative to the plight of the quarries, and the world.

Finding the right stone was the first step, but seeing its form was a different step.

I started with creating a cave... I knew once I worked the stone for a few days, it would talk and interact with me.

The cave had to be the start...
To start from within the earth...
I started to see, to interact children, they would become the sculpture.
The children from the lines of our future would become a fossil....

At this point for one day I was stuck ,” in the stone”
I could not see my net step...

I tried so many ways to break creator's block

I even turned on my head trying to see from upside down...

As the sun set over the walls of the quarry, I stepped back.
One step then another then another.... walking out of time out of the stone....
Into the clear....
And there it was...

She walked out with me; she turned and peered where the child would be.
And in the Dusk a triceratops appeared....

She would be large, monumental, and children, even the child in us all , would see her with “Aw”

And so the real working of the stone began.

The sculpture is a cave with a stalactite.
And in the wall an imprint of the child.
Children stand sunken into the wall and become the fossil frozen in time.
The stalactite created with a water feature above; in hopes it will grow over the years from the rains.

As the child goes into the stone, I created the Dinosaur to be coming out, looking at the child a brief encounter

To create a moment in time where all is reversed.

The dinosaur coming out of the past... Observing the future, our future, fossilized into the stone...