Keunyser [koe’nI’zEr] m. – the Cornish term for a ‘fuel gatherer’ – Seacoal emerges from the ocean, unintentionally ensnared by trawling fishermen and delivered ashore. This material encapsulates contradictions, once a driving force propelling the progression of human civilisation, coal now casts a shadow over the very systems it once fuelled. The work is an act of labour, meticulously charting marks on paper through repetitive motions that evolve into a ritualistic performance. The coal is rolled, pushed, pulled, and rubbed, tracing the material’s path of inevitable decay. Once revered, these coal relics now stand as silent witnesses to the complexities of progress and the delicate equilibrium needed to preserve our world.

Jackson Whitefield is a British artist born in St. Ives, Cornwall in 1991. 

Jackson works with a diverse range of media including photography, film, drawing, book making and site-specific earthworks. While his choice of media and interests are diverse, his inspirations are rooted firmly in his immediate surroundings, allowing his environment to lead his immediate enquiry. Whitefield’s approach to making work is more about reacting and engaging with the subject rather than seeking out ideas that were already formed in the mind.