It was a dark and stormy night. More than 25 people braved the wind and rain to gather around the fire at the Square and Compass in Worth Matravers to share their knowledge and love of Purbeck over a glass of mulled cider. A warm and lively evening included poems and stories from among others Wendy Wharam, Ged Duncan and Roy Ford, with John Bullock of Ystrels keeping things going as master of ceremonies. It turned out that all but one or two of those present were ‘blow ins of more or less long-standing, who had chosen to live in Purbeck and had a deep passion for the place.
The Purbeck Jam was the initiative of sculptor Mat Chivers who has been commissioned to make a new work about the geology of the Jurassic Coast responding to the National Trust estate in Purbeck, as part of the Ex Lab project. During the evening he made audio and video recordings to use as raw material towards his new work.
Mat has already made several trips to Dorset from his home on Dartmoor to walk the coast, explore the landscape and meet quarrymen, geologists and National Trust staff. The Purbeck Jam was part of his research, a way of drawing people together, introduce himself and his work and collect human information about Purbeck and the landscape to complement the scientific data he is hearing from scientists.
Text by Jo Morland
Photos by Rose Ferraby
