Under that cloud

• Main Authors: O'Hana, Sarah, Lignel, Benjamin, Broadhead, Caroline, Kamata, Jiro, Melland, Nanna, Bloxham, Jo
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2011
• Subjects: W200 Design studies; W721 Silversmithing/Goldsmithing; Eyjafjallajökull
• Online Access: https://eprints.lincoln.ac.uk/id/eprint/4095/; https://eprints.lincoln.ac.uk/id/eprint/4095/1/DSC_0007.jpg

News that Europe was at a standstill due to the eruption of the Icelandic volcano in April 2010 barely caused a ripple in Mexico City, a land accustomed to living under the threat of its own local Popocatépetl. Momentarily, all that is a given was put on hold under a cloud of surreal paralysis. The enforced, extended stay of some delegates caused by Eyjafjallajökull allowed time to reflect and so to crystallise impressions and perceptions such as the one written by Sam Grainger who reported for the Gray Area symposium. The full text picks out some salient rich threads from the Mexican culture that create a vivid image of the scale and impossible colour of this extraordinary country, the chaos of traffic, the mystery of ancient heritage, the hot-sour flavours of food on the street, the undertones of disquiet from those with less, reminders of a Spain long gone.