A Moth in the RoomA Moth in the Room

Salt is a form of mineral matter that can bring us closer to an understanding of spatial and temporal scales beyond human imagination. In In the Salt Districts, Nicole Jessé recounts the story of salt movements within Cheshire, an industrial region of North-West England, across a vast span of geologic time. The project examines the impact of salt extraction on the area's landscapes, architecture and post-industrial ecologies.

The multi-part installation is comprised of two films and a site-specific sculpture. Each work explores these concerns from a different medium and perspective. A large-scale projection presents an immersive depiction of ground shifts and building collapses caused by subsidence; the sinking of the earth's surface due to salt extraction. A series of wooden interventions into the architecture of Gallery 3 engages with support structures constructed around sinking buildings in anticipation of their collapse. Finally, a film recounts the history of salt in Cheshire, and speculates on future post-extraction earth conditions in which nuclear waste will become part of a new earth geology.

Nicole Jessé is a researcher and writer concerned with telling the stories of materials. Her current research is focused on the movement of minerals through land- and waterscapes. Originally from Manchester, UK, Nicole completed a bachelor's degree in Design for Art Direction at University of the Arts London.