Opening at the Northlight Gallery, Stromness from 2nd to 16th November is ‘Casting Light’ a workshop and exhibition from Anne Bevan and Mark Edmonds.

The Merry Dancers are coming to the Northlight Gallery.

Casting Light focuses on a haul of labradorite boulders, brought to Orkney as ballast from northeast Canada in the late 19^th century and now looked after by the Historic Boat Society. Named for the coast on which it is found, labradorite has a spectacular iridescence, an effect that evokes the Aurora Borealis. For Anne Bevan and Mark Edmonds, these boulders invite connections: between land, sea and sky, and between people on either side of the Atlantic.

Anne Bevan explained her fascination with Labradorite:

“It’s a magical stone.

“full of light, colour and change. And these pieces of Labrador contain stories of displacement, a flow of materials and people caught up in local and wider currents.”

Mark Edmonds added:

“Labradorite was ‘discovered’ by Europeans in the early 1770s.

“It had been known about for far longer among the indigenous peoples of Labrador, who identified Firestone with ancestral spirits and with what we call The Merry Dancers”.

So how did these rocks end up so far from home, and what does Labradorite mean to people on this side of the pond?

These are just some of the questions that Anne and Mark will be exploring in what they describe as “…less of an exhibition and more of an open workshop”.

The doors are open to all, and they’re keen to see anyone who may have a bit of Labradorite themselves.

As Mark says,

“…The rocks came here in the 1880’s, and ever since then, Stromness folk have been gathering fragments along the shore, many pieces finding their way into the homes, and even the graves, of people around the town”.

Rough stone or jewellery, big or small, all are very welcome.

“This is an invitation to join in our conversations around the Labradorite, to see work in progress, to share stories and explore histories”

Mark and Anne are using the workshop as a stepping stone to a larger exhibition next year.  Casting Light will be open from the 2^nd – 16^th November, Monday – Saturday, 11.00 – 16.00.