Steve McQueen, 'Gravesend' (2007), film still

Image: courtesy the artist, Thomas Dane Gallery and Marian Goodman Gallery, New York, Paris and London

Cast, Helston

THE SMARTPHONE AND THE HEART OF DARKNESS

Saturday 12 May, 5pm

A talk by Professor Frances Wall 
Free admission, no booking required

Frances Wall, Professor of Applied Mineralogy at Camborne School of Mines, will discuss the geology and science of coltan, an essential component of the smartphone. In Steve McQueen’s film Gravesend (2007) we see this material being extracted with picks and bare hands in the Congo. Frances Wall will discuss what we can do as consumers to ensure the responsible sourcing and supply of the raw materials that support our technologically driven way of life.

Gravesend is presented for Groundwork in a specially constructed black box projection space at CAST until Sunday 3 June, open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm. Admission to the exhibition is free. The film runs for 18 minutes, looped.

Frances Wall’s talk is free to attend and will take place in CAST Café. The café will be open for evening meals after the talk, to book a table please email: [email protected]

Steve McQueen

Steve McQueen is a British artist celebrated for his moving image work, and is also the acclaimed director of feature films such as ‘Hunger’, ‘Shame’ and ’12 Years a Slave’. He won the Camera d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 2008 for ‘Hunger' and the FIPRESCI prize for ‘Shame' at the 2011 Venice Film Festival. '12 Years a Slave' was awarded three Oscars at the 2014 Academy Awards, including Best Picture. McQueen won the Turner Prize in 1999 and represented Great Britain at the Venice Biennale in 2009. His work is celebrated in both art and cinema contexts. More

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