Geckoella collaborate with Artists at the Refraction Exhibition at East Quay Watchet

REFRACTION at East Quay 21 February – 29 March 2026

Preparations are nearly complete for the opening of Refraction this Friday in Studio 10 at East Quay, Watchet. This dazzling new exhibition is a unique collaboration between Geckoella and the East Quay artists in residence, bringing together art and science in a celebration of crystals, light and structure.

Geckoella has relished working alongside artists Alison Jacobs, Melanie Deegan, Amanda Shears, Georgina Towler, Vanessa Clegg, Sarah Ward, Sue Lowe and Zoe Snape. United by a shared fascination with crystalline forms, the group presents an exhibition that promises to captivate visitors with painting, sculpture, film and striking mineral specimens.

The project began in May 2025, when geologists Dr Andy King and Dr Dave Evans introduced the artists to Geckoella’s crystal collection and shared insights into the science behind crystal formation. From those early research sessions grew a hands-on, collaborative process, revealing the compelling connections between geological science and creative practice.

As part of the exhibition, Geckoella’s workshop windows have been transformed. The larger window features The Seven Primitive Crystal Systems, floating above an image of a Gabbro thin section. Conceived by one of Geckoella’s geologists, Jamie Foster, the design was brought to life in chalk paint by the company’s ecologists Mireya García Tamayo and Allison Clarke, under the guidance of artist Alison Jacobs.

Jamie Foster also photographed various thin sections of rock using Geckoella’s petrographic microscopes. These intricate images were developed by Alison Jacobs into vinyl installations for the workshop’s smaller entrance window, forming a luminous, stained-glass-like composition reminiscent of planets in a distant galaxy. Illuminated from within after dark, the effect is particularly spectacular and reveals at architectural scale what is usually only seen under a microscope. Thin sections are an essential tool in Geckoella’s building stone investigations, and seeing them enlarged in this way offers a rare and powerful perspective..

The collaboration continues beyond the gallery walls. In March, Geckoella will hold a special workshop led by Alison Jacobs, exploring the fertile ground between creative thinking and scientific endeavour.

As Refraction opens, the whole Geckoella team looks forward to seeing how the experience continues to shape and influence their work in the months ahead. 

Refraction invites visitors to look closer into the wonderful world of crystals and into the shared curiosity that unites art and science.