Rock Up! was an event or Art Houses festival led by Rocky Climates, a research network led by Rebecca Birch, Sarah Casey, and Jen Southern. Rocky Climates artists research collective invited people to join them in a series of participatory conversations with rocks at St Marys lighthouse Whitley Bay. Taking place during low tide, these rocky meetings explored ideas and stories that emerge from the rocky foreshore that separates the tidal island of St Mary’s from the mainland.

The day created encounters with the less-noticed aspects of this rocky environment, through story-telling, touch, lens, sound and speculation. Some conversations took place out on the rocks, some in the meeting room at the lighthouse. Each conversation was streamed into the lighthouse via Zoom and out to remote participants, bringing together a dispersed rocky community.

Rocky Climates artists contributing to this event include Ellie Barrett, Rebecca Birch, Sarah Casey, Simone Kenyon, Paula Kolar, Dominic Smith, Jen Southern and during the day we were accompanied by geologist Livi Adu.