Limelight Apparatus

Limelight (2016-20) aims to establish terms through which limestone as a geological material with industrial application, presents and holds agency. It aims to determine how exposures of limestone’s material agency are intrinsic to understanding the representations and experiences of its landscapes. Limelight, the use of limestone to produce light, was developed in the early 19th Century for land surveying and was subsequently adapted for use on the stage and in the theatre. Limelight is produced when quicklime is heated to a temperature in-excess-of 2000ºc, at this temperature it emits an intense white light that creates an illumination. Through production testing a Limelight Apparatus was developed, prototyped, built and tested. This was deployed at limestone sites in Wales and on the Scottish Borders and used in the Limelight (Cardiff Contemporary & Llangattock Lime Kiln) [linked output].