"Cracking the Earth" Britannia Mine Museum
We were entrusted to create a monument to humankind's pursuit of the precious resources found deep within the earth and the impacts and consequences resulting from their extraction. It is an artistic showpiece and photo-op for the museum's outdoor exhibit terrace. A man cracks open a giant stone and reveals glistening, molten copper within. You are encouraged to push against the handprints on the opposite side to illustrate the delicate balance between humankind's need for resources and our relationship with nature. You two participants in the tableau pushing against each other dramatizes the differing opinions within our society regarding resource extraction, exploitation and the reclamation of land for nature.
