EDINBURGH.- Ten international sculptors will each carve a new sculpture in a 1 to 2 tonne block of stone of their choosing in the Art College quadrangle.

This stone carving event, the largest ever staged of its kind in Scotland, offers the public a rare opportunity to watch stone sculptors in the process of creating their work.

In addition to the Milestone carve, visitors can learn more about stone carving practices all over the world from the accompanying exhibition of films, photographs, interviews, tools, books and sculptures. From the magnificent examples of quarrying the earth’s matrix to the documented craft skills of stone artisans and toolmakers, these enlightening films and other collected data force a reassessment of how we think about ‘stone’ and the sculptors that work it.

The Milestone carve and exhibition form part of the wider STONE project, a three-year eca research initiative, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, conceived and structured by sculptors Jake Harvey and Joel Fisher and filmmaker Noe Mendelle.

The stone sculptors participating in Milestone are: Joel Fisher (USA); Hayashi Takeshi (Japan); Jake Harvey (Scotland); Carlos Lizaraturry Moro (Spain); Gerard Mas (Spain);

Atsuo Okamoto (Japan); Peter Randall Page (England); Sibylle Pasche (Switzerland);

Daniel Silver (Israel); Susanne Specht (Germany). The group will also include Jessica Harrison (Scotland), working as STONE project’s dedicated PhD student.

Talking about the significance of the Milestone carve, lead researcher and participating stone sculptor Professor Jake Harvey says: ‘We hope the sculptures made during this event will stimulate debate about the use of stone in contemporary art. Exposing the process of making these sculptures in this way will generate an awareness of the involvement of tactility and the senses.’

Staged as part of Edinburgh Art Festival 2009, Milestone will be accompanied by a programme of tours, talks and events.