Nicholas Burridge
Anthropic Rocks: a new stage in the rock cycle
10
February 2022
10
Feb
2022
4
Mar 2022
Gallery 2
Anthropic Rocks: a new stage in the rock cycle
Nicholas Burridge
10
February 2022
10
February
2022
4
March 2022
Gallery 2
An anthropic rock is an artificial rock, a rock made by humans. We are surrounded by them, concrete, glass, ceramic. Anthropic rocks are a new rock type in the rock cycle which is the concept that illustrates the transition between sedimentary, igneous metamorphic and now anthropic rocks. The anthropic rocks in this exhibition are emblematic of the geologic age we live in, one defined by human trace upon and manipulation of the earth. These artworks are an inquiry into our technocratic society capable of mimicking the most dramatic of the earth’s forces, volcanism. In this exhibition the volcanic rock basalt is transformed into obsidian by my hand and modern technology, the resulting sculptures an uncanny recreation of nature.The rocks of this planet hold its story, 4.5 billion years of history. When the present is past, and our history is held in the anthropic rocks of today what stories will they tell. These artworks are an inquiry into our technocratic society capable of mimicking the most dramatic of the earth’s forces, volcanism. In this exhibition the volcanic rock basalt is transformed into obsidian by my hand and modern technology, the resulting sculptures an uncanny recreation of nature. The rocks of this planet hold its story, 4.5 billion years of history. When the present is past, and our history is held in the anthropic rocks of today what stories will they tell.
Exhibition documented by Lucy Foster.
An anthropic rock is an artificial rock, a rock made by humans. We are surrounded by them, concrete, glass, ceramic. Anthropic rocks are a new rock type in the rock cycle which is the concept that illustrates the transition between sedimentary, igneous metamorphic and now anthropic rocks. The anthropic rocks in this exhibition are emblematic of the geologic age we live in, one defined by human trace upon and manipulation of the earth. These artworks are an inquiry into our technocratic society capable of mimicking the most dramatic of the earth’s forces, volcanism. In this exhibition the volcanic rock basalt is transformed into obsidian by my hand and modern technology, the resulting sculptures an uncanny recreation of nature.The rocks of this planet hold its story, 4.5 billion years of history. When the present is past, and our history is held in the anthropic rocks of today what stories will they tell. These artworks are an inquiry into our technocratic society capable of mimicking the most dramatic of the earth’s forces, volcanism. In this exhibition the volcanic rock basalt is transformed into obsidian by my hand and modern technology, the resulting sculptures an uncanny recreation of nature. The rocks of this planet hold its story, 4.5 billion years of history. When the present is past, and our history is held in the anthropic rocks of today what stories will they tell.
Nicholas Burridge
Nicholas Burridge is a regional Victorian-based artist whose practice has developed through extensive experience in foundries and industrial fabrication. This hands-on background informs his approach to sculpture, where making operates as a method for thinking through geology, ecology, and environmental change.
His work examines how industrial processes both mimic and reshape the natural world, and how materials carry embedded cultural and political histories. Burridge has produced projects involving man-made lava, explosive metal forming, and machines that grind rock and re-solidify that sediment. These works position sculpture as a form of material research, exposing the forces and conditions held within seemingly inert matter.
His practice is research-driven and site-responsive, often developed through fieldwork and engagement with specific ecologies and geologies. He has undertaken residencies at the Living Museum of the West, Canberra Glassworks, The Quarry, Jack’s Magazine, and the Rio Tinto mining basin in southern Spain.
Burridge holds a Bachelor of Fine Art from Monash University (2016) and a Master’s in Critical Design from Elisava, Barcelona (2025).