Finding Gold

Finding Gold
Sphere 3-22
22 × 22 × 22 cm
Basalt, agate, red jasper, quartzite, chert, gold gilt

Finding Gold is rooted in my childhood in Western Australia. At weekends my father would take my brother and I gold panning, often to give my mother a quiet day at home. Using the gold panning sieves he had made himself, we searched the rivers for gold. My father was remarkably good at discovering it, and although what we found was usually no more than tiny flecks, each discovery was a source of excitement. Those weekends fostered a lifelong fascination with stones, minerals and the stories held within the landscape.

The title also carries a personal connection to my father’s life’s work. Carnegie, the company that later developed his CETO wave energy technology, began as a gold mining company. It is a reminder that a spirit of exploration can lead in unexpected directions.

Part of my Celestial Ancestors series, Finding Gold explores our enduring relationship with stone, memory and ancient cultures. A single gold stone rests quietly among many others, suggesting that value is not always measured by size or rarity, but by the stories we attach to what we discover. Through this work I reflect on our instinct to search, gather and create meaning from the materials of the earth, continuing a dialogue between humanity and the landscape that stretches back thousands of years.

© Stephanie Fuller (Burns)