Gail Dickerson grinds Lambeth Group sediments and London Clay to make pigments for new paintings that reimagine the River Effra's journey over millennia – ending in contemporary Vauxhall.
Dickerson, Beaconsfield's current Earth AIR, researches the land and built environment beneath the gallery and adjacent Super Sewer at MI6 (linked by Albert Embankment) in relation to the Vauxhall community's lived experience. Dickerson's artistic research is supported by close relationships with London Geodiversity Network and the Museum of London's archeologists.
Hugging the river, the built environment of Vauxhall sits on layers of flint, chalk and 'Mottled Beds' of London clay: 'The Lambeth Group sediments...are approximately 55 million years old...from clays through sands to coarse conglomerates. This extreme variability is reflected both in their mechanical behaviour and in their hydrology, and causes them to be notoriously unpredictable in civil engineering situations' (Skipper, 1999).
Diving into complex histories of the riverbed and environs and linking them with the earth that supports both plant life and human habitation, Dickerson leads a series of summer workshops for local school children working with London clay, opening up a conversation about the built environment and land common to gallery and residents.
The gallery/studio will be open the public Saturdays in August and then Thursday-Sunday 20 August-12 September 2026.
By appointment from June.
