Kennall Vale is a wildlife trust nature reserve tucked away in Cornwall, that hides a destructive industry that once thrived – gunpowder. The power flow of water from the River Kennall that travels through the valley would turn waterwheels, moving the mechanisms needed to produce gunpowder. In 1812, there were around 50 buildings, each with a designated role in the production process, now only a glimpse of some remain.
Gunpower is made of three key ingredients: saltpetre, charcoal and sulphur. This mixture would be spun, compressed, broken down and dried out before being used for blasting rocks in quarrying and shotguns. This process wasn’t all safe and explosions did occur. As a safety feature, they planted trees in between the buildings to help absorb shocks from potential explosions and catch debris flying from the top of the buildings. The business closed in 1910 and everything was left. Nature has enveloped the once-gunpowder factor, returning it to a diverse ecosystem. A sign of hope for future rewilding plans, as nature will recover.
This body of work incorporates nature into the creative process. By giving nature a voice in the outcome, the portfolio doesn't just passively show Kennall Vale but has a tactile relationship with it. A collection of processes has been used such as film soup using the water from the River Kennall and plants found nearby. Others have been printed and left in this woodland for 24 hours, exposing it the same way the object is. Some prints have bathed in the water of River Kennall for days.
