Lion Salt Works Exhibition: Film Making and Wich-Craft

Film Making and Wich-Craft is a new exhibition at The Lion Salt Works in Northwich, running from 6th November to 24th March 2024.

Created by James Snazell the exhibition demonstrates the infinite scope of salt creations.

Councillor Lisa Denson, Cabinet Member for A Fairer Future (Poverty, Public Health and Mental Health) said:

“The Lion Salt Works in Northwich has developed a rolling programme of temporary exhibitions, usually developed by guest curators and inspired by the salt industry of Cheshire

“This dynamic exhibition showcases filmic work inspired by the history of the salt pan process of the salt works and surrounding landscape.  The exhibition includes still image films of the changing nature of salt and chromatographs which, over time, reveal metallic salts in soil.”

James Snazell's work questions the understanding of film as a set of moving images by historically tracing its initial interpretation as a flat, thin layer occurring in natural landscapes through its evolution in the eighteen hundreds as a flat photographic salt print. James sees the importance here of film through its surface being an active environment, with salt being an effective part of that terrain.

He sees the traditional craft of salt-making through open flat salt pans as practised at the Lion Salt Works adds to this understanding. With the heritage of the Lion Salt Works being important to looking forward to seeing the ecological relevance of materials such as salt. His work crosses disciplines and boundaries, mixing a creative practice with materials science, chemistry, geography, archaeology and history.

James is currently doing a Creative Practice PhD in film. A big part of his research is to explore the idea of the salt pan creatively and see what self-forming image the salt crystals make via pattern formation when water evaporates from a saline solution. He does this in an investigative process similar to a biologist looking at a petri dish or a geologist looking at a rock formation, which is about observing and interpreting the material self-forming an image.

On display as part of the show will be a still image film consisting of a series of photographs documenting a salt pan experiment looking at the cyclic filmic nature of rock salt and how it soaks up water in the winter, which evaporates in the summer.

Actual examples of small salt pan experiments will be on show as part of the exhibition. There will also be a set of circular chromatographs that work similarly to a salt pan in the way they create a filmic process where the components of soil are separated using a reagent and made visible using the salt silver nitrate.

The Lion Salt Works Museum in Ollershaw Lane, Northwich is one of the foremost industrial heritage sites in the UK. It is one of the last open-pan, salt-making sites in the World and is a Scheduled Ancient Monument. It tells the story of salt through fun, interactive displays and has won ten awards since opening in June 2015.

The Lion Salt Works is open Tuesday to Sunday, 10.30am to 5pm (last admission at 4pm).

For further details: 

http://www.westcheshiremuseums.co.uk

Wich is another name for Saltworks or a Salt producing town.

Pictured - James Snazell Rock Salt Pan Print.