A CELEBRATION of Portland stone to inspire people to be proud of their heritage has been held on the island.

Films, music, sculpture, guided walks and talks have helped to tell the story of stone and geology at the Drill Hall.

The Seas of Stone exhibition ran last week but many of the elements can continue to be seen at the venue until the end of March.

The exhibition has been curated by fine art degree graduate Ed Schofield of Weymouth and is the culmination of his ITV Fixers project.

Ed and his friends made a short film for ITV examining the importance of Portland stone and the programme aimed to inspire pride in local people.

The exhibition was then arranged to celebrate the island’s history.

Portland’s stone has been used as a building material since Roman times and is famous throughout the world.

Sculptor Hannah Sofaer from the Portland Sculpture and Quarry Trust, which hosted the exhibition at the Drill Hall, said visitors of all ages had taken an interest from schoolchildren at the stone-carving workshops to older people signing up for guided walks in Tout Quarry.

She said: “There’s a real mixture of things and it’s been a real challenge for Ed to work across different disciplines, but he’s done really well and kept it fluid.

“There’s a geology record running up the middle of the hall like a spine and Ed has used audio and visual material.”

Some of the highlights at the exhibition include the sound of the stone xylophone played by percussionist Sue Shorter, a model of a quarry and different tools used, which took a year to make, photographs and short films.

Sculptor and new media artist James Murison who works at the Jerwood Space in London has also been giving talks.

Hannah Sofaer said: “We had people drifting in and out all week and I think they really enjoyed it.

“We’ve had work going on at the hall while the exhibition has been going on.”

She said a big open day when the community stone workshop will be unveiled is planned for the beginning of June.

For more information about the exhibition and work going on at the Drill Hall call 01305 826736.