An introduction

Neville Gabie was the Cabot Institute's Artist in Residence from 2012 - 2014.  He developed several strands of artwork based around the research of Cabot Institute academics.  He produced 'Experiments in black and white', creating several strands around this theme including 'Archiving Oil', the 'Oil Common Room', and 'Collective Breath' which was previewed at the WOMAD festival in 2014.

Watch and listen to Neville Gabie talk about his previous work and residency here at the Cabot Institute.

Read Neville's biography

View Neville's website about this project entitled 'Experiments in black and white'.

Archiving Oil

From the Cabot Institute, Artist in Residence Neville Gabie and  Cultural Geographer Merle Patchett, invited you to join them in Archiving Oil on 16 May 2013, as part of the University of Bristol’s Museums at Night event - ‘Alight - The unexpected in the dark’ - in the Wills Memorial Building.

The Cabot Institute has created a structure through which researchers from all fields can contribute to inter-disciplinary dialogue and research under a common umbrella.

Of all substances what is more ubiquitous than oil.  Fossil fuels, oil in particular, have entirely shaped our evolution since the industrial age.  It touches every aspect of our lives, landscapes, economies and politics. It impacts in some way on every area of research within the Cabot Institute.  And yet it is almost unseen, or hidden away from curious eyes.

In an attempt to make oil’s presence more visible Neville and Merle installed a series of art works in the Geology Collection basement stores to archive the ways in which oil permeates and sediments itself within our research and wider worlds.  This included the premiere of a series of short films that Neville created in response to the experimental scientific work of Cabot Institute researchers.

Images from Archiving Oil on Flickr

A blog about the evening

Comments from members of the public

"A very welcoming and interesting event without being to technical. Seeing the vast collection in the basement."

"It was amazing seeing all the minerals and rocks, especially of close and being able to touch them. Looking through the microscope at rock sections"

"Very good - eyeopener, fascinating.  Local Dinosaur and fossils."

"Fascinating to see oil and the products it makes. Original."

"Thought provoking. Pervasive nature of oil in society and our reliance on it"

Oil Common Room

The Archiving Oil event will be held again on 18 and 19 June 2013 but under the guise of ' Oil Common Room' and with extra artworks by Neville.

Building the Common Room