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More than 45 artists from the UK and beyond have been selected to display their work at a prestigious Aberdeen exhibition depicting the link between geology and the landscape of earth.

The Fabric of the Land event, which is now in its fourth year, has grown in reputation and is seen as a must in the national arts calendar. The exhibition in the University of Aberdeen’s Meston Building will open to the public on Saturday, August 25 and this year forms part of the British Science Festival.

Work from as far afield as Australia and Russia will sit alongside creations from artists in Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and the rest of the UK – the first time international entries have been received.

Fabric of the Land is organised and curated by SMART Consultants on behalf of the University of Aberdeen’s geology and petroleum geology department. This year’s theme is focused on ‘footprints that nature leaves on the landscape’. The artwork to be featured at the exhibition was chosen by a selection panel made up of artists and business people.

The exhibition, which is sponsored by Aberdeen-headquartered energy services company, Senergy, has a private viewing evening on Friday, August 24 and runs until September 16.

The University’s geology department will again be transformed into a contemporary gallery, which hosted more than 700 art lovers last year.

Since it started in 2008, the event has seen a growing number of professional and amateur artists - including, painters, sculptors and photographers - submit their work for consideration in the exhibition, which features around 70 geology-inspired creative pieces of art. This includes artwork by Hilary Duncan from Banchory, Fabric of the Land 2012’s artist in residence.

Professor Andrew Hurst, from the University’s School of Geosciences, is looking forward to the exhibition and casting his eye on the new works of art. “It is with much anticipation that we look forward to seeing what exciting pieces of art are submitted for our consideration. I am always amazed at not just the quality but the vision and care that goes into aligning geology with science in an artistic form.  It’s no wonder that, as a result, we are attracting a growing number of artists as well as visitors to the event.”

Senergy has supported Fabric of the Land since it was first established.

Henry Allen, the company’s head of business sustainability and a member of the selection panel for the 2012 event, said: “Geology is at the core of the energy oil & gas industry and we boast there is a wealth of talent in this incredibly complex field. Being able to create thought provoking and diverse works of art which mirror the influence of geology on the landscape is incredible. We are very much looking forward to viewing this year’s contributions submissions and continue to be in awe of the artistic talent which this country boasts.”

For more information about Fabric of the Land, visit: http://www.fabricoftheland.com/

For more information about Senergy, visit: http://www.senergyworld.com/

Notes to Editors

Issued on behalf of Senergy by The BIG Partnership.  For more information, please contact Karen Grant on +44 1224 615009 or +44 7734 617 056 or at: karen.grant@bigpartnership.co.uk

Senergy, which was established in 2005, employs more than 550 people worldwide across its Aberdeen headquarters and through a network of global offices in the UK, Norway, the Middle East, Australia, South East Asia and the Americas.

The companydelivers fully integrated project and asset development services across the energy industry, and has rapidly emerged as a global leader in diversified energy services through organic growth and a series of acquisitions.

Senergy’s services encompass alternative energy solutions, geosciences, reservoir engineering, geohazard assessment, marine site surveys, rig positioning, wells engineering and operations, facilities engineering and project management. Senergy also develops and supports innovative software technologies including Interactive Petrophysics and Oilfield Data Manager.

SMART Consultants is one of the North East’s leading arts agencies. It is primarily an independent curatorial practice that works with commercial and non-commercial gallery spaces. SMART was founded in January 2007 and has been run by Sally Reaper (née Moir) for the last four years. Services include arts consultancy, curation, exhibition and collections installation, publications, design, project management, exclusive artwork leasing & workshops.

Issued by the Communications Team, Office of External Affairs, University of Aberdeen, King's College, Aberdeen. Tel: (01224) 272014.

Issued on: 24 August 2012

Ref: 240Fabric of the Land
Contact: Joanne Milne