Weaving geology and art
Min Manifold is a master of dreaming up new pathways that connect geology, art and community. Image: AuScope
Meet Min, our talented Subsurface Observatory technician who has taken her love of geology into the arts, environment and community — all in the name of reconnecting people with place. In recent years, she authored Written In Stone, an acclaimed book that dives into the evolving geological story of the Great Ocean Road. And now, Min works with her community to help realise a meditation garden that she designed.
Recently, Min found time in her busy but grounded creative schedule to share some stories of her unconventional career path stemming from geology.
Hi Min! Thank you for taking this time to share your story with us today.
Thanks Jo. So happy to show you around the garden and talk about rocks!
I am excited to hear about the beautiful CERES Meditation Garden that we stand in, but first, what originally piqued your interest in geology?
It was total chance that I came across geology. My original plan was to focus on environmental science. However, once I was at uni I found that I was much more interested in the geology subjects - they offered explanations of the underlying processes that shape our world and engaged the senses in a way that statistics and chemistry didn’t! I ended up taking more and more subjects over time until one day I suddenly became a geologist!
I fell in love with the kind of explorative nature of geology and how it (as I mentioned already) engaged my senses — smell, sight and sometimes taste [laughs]! But I had no idea what to do with it, and in my last year of study, I broke my elbow quite badly and had the opportunity to start a creative writing project that I’d been thinking about.
What came next?
A great level of optimism! I dove into researching and writing about the geology of the Great Ocean Road! Working part time at GSV and part time on the book — after the first year I realised it was going to be a much longer project than I had anticipated.
Nine years later... after writing, photographing and illustrating the rocks along the coast while juggling work and other pursuits I finished Written in Stone. Over this time I have worked in various areas — cataloguing Victoria’s granites for the Department of Primary Industries, selling barrels of whisky, making numerous coffees and starting a Masters of Landscape Architecture. Though I wanted to pursue a career in landscape architecture, I felt I had to finish the book first.
I looked to publishers with no success, and then turned to crowdfunding where, in just one month, my campaign raised in $20k. This really was the linchpin for this project because it got the word out, and got everyone behind the book and interested in it.
My first print run sold out in 3 or 4 months in 2017, my second print run is almost out, and I have just received the shipment of my third print run! There has been quite a few jokes about how it is a timeless book and wont go out of date [laughs].
Written In Stone is Min’s multi-disciplinary book; combining research, writing, sketches and photographs that chart the 135 million year story of the surf coast and its geology. Image: AuScope
Image: AuScope. One of Min’s favourite spreads featuring liesegang banding details (left) and Urquart Bluff rocks at sunrise (right). Image: AuScope
What a journey! What kind of feedback have you received at your author talks?
It has been so wonderful to see how much people are responding to geology, even though the popular opinion has been that geology is a niche topic. So far that has not been my experience. I think everyone is interested in geology: they want to know the story of the land beneath their feet but are perhaps intimidated by jargon.
How can people learn about the geology of where they live?
I have a few excellent resources that I share during my talks. GeoVic is a free online mapping tool that lets you to build your own earth resource related maps, perform searches and access data, using a huge range of data sources. dinosaurpictures.org allows you to see how your address has moved in relation to plate motion throughout history. And Matt Lloyd Coller’s Temporal Earth project — including Sahultime — offers a visual, interactive representation of the Earth's history.
Once you start learning about geology, the landscape around you becomes alive with change. You can imagine mountains rising and tectonic plates shifting. Even stone buildings start to ‘pop out’ more!
Want to know the geology of your area? Yes please. Or how things looked in your area millions of years ago?
Teleport now. Images: GeoVic (left) and Ian Webster (right), respectively.
Let’s talk about this developing CERES Meditation Garden space that we are standing in.
Yes! So, a few years ago, I volunteered as a student landscape architect at CERES to design a meditation garden in consultation with the community. It has been a week-by-week process. Currently we have help from a great local stonemason, Luke Doyle and Melbourne Zen, Sophia Springs and CERES volunteers.
When I was thinking about the design of the garden I reflected on how stones and plants has been central to human life for millenia. That gardens have always had a purpose: medicinal, food production, relaxation etc. So for me a meditation garden is a very particular form of garden. It is a place created to generate contemplative states through designs that are sensory and symbolic.
My sense is that our ability to attend, with care, to the inner world has a direct relationship to our ability to care for the outer world.
It has been beautiful the way that building the garden is creating community and generating connectedness and ownership. People feel connected to the garden because they’re laying the stones. It’s good fun.
One of Min’s sketches of the CERES Meditation Garden that grows weekend by weekend. Illustration: Min Manifold
Beauty in the details: a birdhouse (left) and shiny mica minerals in a sandstone block (right) at CERES Meditation Garden, an organically growing community project that was designed by Min. Images: AuScope
Looking back, would you have imagined taking this creative arts-science pathway?
I think so. I always wanted to be the in-between person. I am more naturally ‘wired’ for art, drawing, sketching and creative work, but I really wanted to do environmental science so that I could understand the language of science and then share that knowledge with a wider audience.
At school I thought ‘the only people that get listened to are scientists, and being an artist isn’t actually going to make a difference.’ I actually disagree with my younger self now.
I am grateful that I am in a position of being involved in both areas now.
Thinking deeply about new creative projects ahead. Image: AuScope
What’s next for you?
First up, learning tracking with my writer and rewilding friend, Claire Dunn! She is working with a number of great people to bring nature connection work to Australia. I think geologists are great trackers!
In 2020, I am considering producing a pocket book version of Written in Stone, and exploring similar storytelling projects in new locations. I have also just been invited to create an elective subject for RMIT, one that takes students into a creative and scientific exploration of place.
Ultimately I am interested in finding creative ways to share with people the joy of thinking about the world through the lens of geology, deep time, creativity and our own somatic and embodied ways of knowing. To question and help break down the dichotomy of science and art. They are just different ways of responding to the world! All valid and enriching!
Thanks so much for sharing your fascinating story and ideas with us, Min.
So happy to share these things with you!