The exhibition, ‘The Rock Drill and Beyond’, provided a unique opportunity to consider a major piece of twentieth century sculpture, and to examine the historical context and circumstances under which the sculpture was made and subsequently dismantled.
This installation allowed the fully reconstructed Rock Drill of 1913, by Jacob Epstein, to be placed in the context of the First World War.
The sculpture was exhibited alongside memorabilia, images and artifacts dating from the 1914-1918 War (obtained from museum collections and loaned by members of the public) and was the first showing for the Rock Drill in Scotland, and only the third time the full scale version had been shown in the UK.
These sculpture and objects were used to create an installation which linked Epstein’s major work of modernist art with the time of its making. This version of the Rock Drill should not be confused with the truncated bronze version on display in the Tate Gallery in London.
Six contemporary artists from Scotland were also commissioned to produce works influenced by the Rock Drill. Their pieces were placed throughout the exhibition bringing some of the concerns and issues raised by this controversial sculpture into the present day.
The exhibition was curated by Another Space and exhibited in Inverness Museum and Art Gallery between 16 May and 13 June 1998 and was followed by a tour of galleries in the Scottish Highlands.
Text from the catalogue, written by Trevor Avery, was enlarged and mounted in Thomas Hirschhorn’s U-Topia Room as part of the Common Wealth exhibition in Tate Modern in late 2004.
Artists involved: Another Space, Robert Callender, Gavin Lockhart, Alex Main, Tim Pomeroy, Frank Pottinger, Mary Rosengren.
In collaboration with Inverness Museum and Art Gallery,The Highland Festival, Highland Council Cultural and Leisure Services.
