Body Stones and Other Bodies

In this chapter we talk with the Geologist David Dobson. David is a Professor of Earth Materials at UCL. His research focuses on high-pressure physical property measurements, from sudotakalytes in the Earth's crust to mantle reology and deep earthquakes, as well as the reologys of magma and terrestrial planetary cores. Out of the lab, he enjoys being out in the mountains, unusually migrating north towards the colder climes of Scotland for the winter. We'll discover more about his reasons for this as David explains the formation of body stones as a geological material in the following conversation…

Date of episode recording: 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z
Duration: 34'14''
Language of episode: English
Presenter: alfonso borragán and Sarah Bayliss
Guests: David Dobson
Producer: Arts and Science - University College London

What is Body Stones and Other Bodies?

Body Stones and Other Bodies is a series of conversations led by artist alfonso borragán with artist Sarah Bayliss. These discussions explore the strange gems generated inside our bodies: kidney stones, bladder stones, gallstones, rhinoliths, pancreatic stones, and sialoliths. The stones, sedimented within us, defy conventional definitions. Neither stone nor tissue, they exist in a state of in-between. These ambiguous entities, currently housed in the UCL Pathology Museum, represent the "other body"—the otherness of our matter, and maybe a possible material form of Spinoza's trans-individual.