The Rock Cycle (From Coral to Limestone)

About the edition

This print was created by Ilana Halperin and produced in DCA Print Studio as part of 2020 Editions: a portfolio of prints created to mark an extraordinary, challenging year, and to support DCA's recovery from a crisis that has gripped the entire cultural sector.

As the UK-wide lockdown that began in March 2020 drew to a close, we invited a group of artists who had participated in our programme to submit work to be developed with our team in DCA Print Studio and included in a portfolio. Some had worked with us recently; others had taken part in projects soon after we opened in 1999, but all of them gave their time and work generously in support of DCA, and we are incredibly grateful to them.

The project came with some built-in specifications – shape, size, edition number – but the remarkable diversity of the finished works eloquently reflects the range of our programme, and the possibilities of working with our Print Studio.

This print is part of the The Rock Cycle (Yamaguchi), a cross-disciplinary project between Japan and Scotland curated by Naoko Mabon/Wagon. The project draws inspiration from the geological rock cycle, a concept that describes how rocks change from one type to another through deep geologic time, with the addition of a subtle artistic intervention, the introduction of a ‘life’ — or biological — stage in the process.  Yamaguchi, and Akiyoshidai in particular, is renowned for its magnificent calcium carbonate limestone. This print envisions one moment in the biological/geological rock cycle, imagining how the infamous limestone of Akiyoshidai formed - first as a coral reef that over time travelled and changed into the Karst landscapes we encounter today. As we are composed of calcium carbonate though our teeth and bones, and malachite grows in carbonate environments, we can begin to imagine how we are all part of the carbonate rock cycle together - a deep time family tree. Ilana Halperin

Other prints included in the 2020 Editions portfolio:

• Christine Borland
• Martin Boyce
• Eve Fowler
• Hideyuki Katsumata
• Toby Paterson
• P. Staff
• Alberta Whittle
• Jane and Louise Wilson
• Clare Woods

Prints can be bought individually or as a portfolio of all 10 prints.

About Ilana Halperin 

Ilana Halperin, born in New York in 1973, is based between Glasgow and the Isle of Bute. Her work explores the relationship between geology and daily life. She combines fieldwork in diverse locations – on volcanoes in Hawaii, caves in France, geothermal springs in Japan with an active studio-based practice. Her work has featured in solo exhibitions worldwide including Berliner Medizinhistorisches Museum der Charité, Artists Space in New York and Manchester Museum. She was the Inaugural Artist Fellow at National Museums Scotland and Artist-Curator of Geology for Shrewsbury Museum and Art Gallery. The Library of Earth Anatomy, a permanent commission at The Exploratorium in San Francisco opened 2017. Her recent solo exhibition Minerals of New York opened at Leeds Arts University, and toured to The Hunterian in 2019. Her exhibition There Is A Volcano Behind My House at Mount Stuart was postponed due to Covid19 and will open in Spring 2021.  

Own Art 
Spread the cost of buying artwork with Own Art and purchase The Rock Cycle (From Coral to Limestone) by Ilana Halperin in 10 monthly payments of £12 (representative 0% APR). Email editions@dca.org.uk for more information or to buy.

Pick up in Store

If you would like to buy online and then collect your edition at DCA, please select the Pick up option at checkout. We will then be in touch to arrange a convenient collection time with you.