2016 5th Migrating Stone, Los Angeles, USA

In 2016 I was invited to Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, by Professor Paul Harris to present my work on migrating stones at the Bellarmine Forum.

I took the 5th Migrating Stone with me: the text runs around the stone in Spanish: Migran en silencio las piedras por el mundo (Carving: Alec Peever / Translation: Andrea Dates / Felt bag: Mercedes Nunez / Log book: Grizel Luttman-Johnson).

This stone will continue to migrate by being passed from person to person. The stone migrates in a felt bag and comes with a log book that gives a history of the project and what to do when you pass the stone on. Who knows where it will end up.

Stone: slate from Delabole Quarry, Cornwall.

In August, Alyson took the 4th migrating stone to the Isle of Iona, Scotland. It is a 30kg piece of limestone from a quarry near Bath, and is now sited on a grassy bank next to the Iona Community’s Welcome Centre.

Thanks to the following who made this journey possible: Fiona Hamilton & family, Mercedes Nunez, Patrick Williams (maker of the stone library box), Chris at Troubadour Studios, Grizel Luttman-Johnson, Jan Blake, Karen Christopher, Michael Rattray.

The 4th migrating stone was also in residence at the Trinity Laban Dance Centre during International Student Week.  The students were invited to bring stones from their home countries to join the stone in an ongoing installation.  This came about after Amanda Gough and Sonia Rafferty, choreographers at Laban, contacted Alyson to say they had been using her research and poems to inspire a piece of dance with 3rd year students.

To watch the The Stone Diaries dress rehearsal, click the playbutton below:

(The Stone Diaries / Dress Rehearsal from Amanda Gough on Vimeo)

Thanks to Lucy Rose, House Services and all other staff at Laban Dance Centre, Steve Taylor, Trevor Burgess, Norma Dates, Jon Walker, Karen Heaseman.

In September 2008 I took the third migrating stone to Australia. It is a 12 kg piece of grey limestone from Oxfordshire that I carried across the world in my suitcase. Following lengthy negotiations with Sue Bessell (the fantastic and inspiring public art officer) at Wollongong City Council the stone has now been succesfully sited in a park at Kanahooka Point.

Sue Bessell, public art officer at Wollongong City Council

The stone sited at Kanahooka Point, looking across
Lake Illawarra towards Koonawarra.

You can read more about this journey on the blog that I have started :

migratingstonenumber3.blogspot.com

And stones moved silently across the world
hurled into an empty ship's weightless hold
folded into a glacier's freezing mound
quick-pocketed by tourists and children
with an eye for things shiny and round.

more poetry

Siting the stone in Leigh Woods, Bristol

Launching the stone, August 2003

I took the second stone in the series of migrating stones to East Mountain Retreat Centre in Massachussets in the autumn of 2004. The stone was sited next to a pond at the entrance to the retreat; a location with a view across a wide, green valley. Read more about the second stone here

In all I hope to take a total of seven stones to different places in the world. If you are interested in hosting the next migrating stone you are welcome to contact me with any ideas or questions that you might have.

See the project information page for more on Migrating Stones.

And stones moved silently across the world
Poem read by Alyson Hallett, with original soundtrack by Roger Mills.
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