Two Lumps of Cannel Coal
Cannel Coal is a kind of very fine grained coal that forms in thin seams within a bituminous coal mine. Whereas bituminous coal is produced from dead vegetable matter from the carboniferous period, cannal coal is formed from the microorganisms that lived in the swampy water. As such it is far less friable and can be carved and polished. It’s not the best coal for burning and gives off less heat that standard coals but burns very brightly. As such it was traditionally used as a source of lighting, being a cheaper alternative to wax candles. The name Cannel coal comes from this usage of coal as a lighting source, being derived from ‘Candle Coal’. We made a number of carved coal figures which came together as the work Darkness, Weakness, Poverty and Barbarism and we also used cannel coal for the production our of film, Song for Coal.
10 available from an edition of 20
Cannel Coal is a kind of very fine grained coal that forms in thin seams within a bituminous coal mine. Whereas bituminous coal is produced from dead vegetable matter from the carboniferous period, cannal coal is formed from the microorganisms that lived in the swampy water. As such it is far less friable and can be carved and polished. It’s not the best coal for burning and gives off less heat that standard coals but burns very brightly. As such it was traditionally used as a source of lighting, being a cheaper alternative to wax candles. The name Cannel coal comes from this usage of coal as a lighting source, being derived from ‘Candle Coal’. We made a number of carved coal figures which came together as the work Darkness, Weakness, Poverty and Barbarism and we also used cannel coal for the production our of film, Song for Coal.
10 available from an edition of 20
Cannel Coal is a kind of very fine grained coal that forms in thin seams within a bituminous coal mine. Whereas bituminous coal is produced from dead vegetable matter from the carboniferous period, cannal coal is formed from the microorganisms that lived in the swampy water. As such it is far less friable and can be carved and polished. It’s not the best coal for burning and gives off less heat that standard coals but burns very brightly. As such it was traditionally used as a source of lighting, being a cheaper alternative to wax candles. The name Cannel coal comes from this usage of coal as a lighting source, being derived from ‘Candle Coal’. We made a number of carved coal figures which came together as the work Darkness, Weakness, Poverty and Barbarism and we also used cannel coal for the production our of film, Song for Coal.
10 available from an edition of 20