sensory workshop 5 – geology – terroir

Sensory workshop n.5 – geology and terroir

The workshop took place Saturday 18th March, 2017, at Dissenters Gallery, North West London and was focused on geology of Kensal Green Cemetery, with Diana Clements, and on “terroir” with Dany Teixeira and Vaughn Tan.

Beneath your feet: a geology workshop based on Kensal Green and the wider London area

Have you ever wondered what lies beneath your feet? In an urban area it is not something we think of very often. A cemetery is a good place to start looking as grave diggers allow us a glimpse. For the workshop the geology beneath Kensal Green and the wider London area has been explained and examples of the rocks and fossils found were passed round for discussion. We considered the environments relating to the various rock-types going back over the past 100 million years and can look into the future of where Britain may be 100 million years hence.

Diana Clements from the London Geodiversity Partnership

Diana became interested in the geology of London when researching her own area, Islington, and she went on to mount an exhibition in the Islington Museum. More recently she compiled a Guide to the Geology of London for the Geologiststs’ Association and now works with the London Geodiversity Partnership to identify, conserve and interpret London’s geology.

Below: Close up of various specimen of rocks and fossils which Diana Clements brought.

Terroir with Dany Teixeira (Winemakers Club) and Vaughn Tan (UCL)

Exploration of the concept of terroir, through discussion and wine tasting, with Chiroubles and Chenas wines from domaine Karim Vionnet.

“In the act of tasting, when the bite or sip moves through the mouth and into the body, culture and  nature become one…The concise Oxford dictionary defines terroir as soil, ground, locality, place or part of the country. A contemporary French dictionary says terroir is either when something has a particular flavour that can be attributed to the soil, or the typical tastes and habits that come from a region or a rural area.In France terroir is often associated with racines, or roots, a person’s history with a certain place. This connection is considered essential, as timeless as the earth itself.” From Place Matters, by Amy B. Trubek

Images below: Drawings by Lucy Lyons.

This was a fifth in an ongoing series of sensory workshops, conceived and run by Tereza Stehlikova

Documentation: Nevra Topcu, Tereza Stehlikova

Thank you to all participants and Michael Speechley for enabling the use of Dissenters Gallery.