The Dalton Stewart Basalt Table 2 is constructed from olivine basalt. Olivine basalt is an igneous rock covering most of the Victorian Volcanic Plains, resulting from a Pleistocene lava flow. Commonly called bluestone, the material has become characteristic of the colonial built environment in rural and urban Victoria.Bluestone underpins Naarm’s geological and cultural heritage. The Pre-colonial history and significance of basalt were insidiously erased through the desecration of Naarm by colonial settlement and displacement in 1835 through building construction, foundations, and laneways. There is significant evidence of Indigenous knowledge and use of the volcanic rock as astronomical markers, fishing traps, and materials for river water management throughout Naarm. The rock has become a potent symbol of cultural heritage, with the capacity to tell a story about place – past and future. Basalt Table questions the relationship between objects and the idea of cultural heritage. Old bluestone building foundations from building construction waste have been repurposed as functional objects that arise with the addition of two steel planes. The planes function to order and displace the stone, interlocking in cut slots. One metal plane acts as a reinforcement for the tabletop’s vertical planes. The design uses minimalism as its reference point in dealing with the everyday use of materials in assemblage, playing with mass and lightness.
