Jill Randall

In 2008, Jill Randall completed an Artist-In-Residence placement at Parys Mountain Copper Mine and Amlwch Industrial Heritage Centre, Amlwch, Anglesey, North Wales, funded by an “Artists At Work” Award from Cywaith Cymru-Artworks Wales. Randall undertook a research and development project focussing on the hidden and secret environment of the abandoned underground workings, and how these workings have been mapped and drawn, ranging from studying archival hand drawn maps from the eighteenth century to a Performance/Drawing event involving the members of the Underground Exploration Group visualising their individual ‘mind maps’ to navigate this diffucult environment.

Other work has focussed on the legacy above ground of the abandoned mine, an extraordinary and unique environment, including acidic pools, ochre beds, and flora adapted to the particular chemical conditions. Randall is developing ideas for a series of etchings made on plates ‘bitten’ in the acidic pools, turning a contaminated environment into a creative one, and is currently researching the use of ochres as drawing materials.

Photography: Jill Randall, Alan Kelly, Patrick Ward.