Publisher's Synopsis
King of Dust is a craftman’s personal journey through the landscapes and the ancient sculpture that first inspired him to pick up tools. Weaving together the archaeology of the stones and their medieval carvers with his own life, and those of the writers and artists similarly drawn to them, the book is meditation on craft, the importance of the handmade, and the transformative power of art in our lives.
It is an unusual path that led Alex Woodcock to Exeter Cathedral, where he worked as a stonemason for six years. The journey began in the edgelands and semi-ruinous buildings of suburban Sussex, where he skateboarded and discovered bands like Sisters of Mercy, Bauhaus and Fields of Nephilim, and led him first to archaeology and then on to become a scholar of medieval sculpture. But it wasn’t until his 30s, feeling mentally exhausted and wondering how much he really knew about his subject, when he carved stone for the first time. Working with his hands was a revelation. It shifted his perspective and changed his life.
Visiting Romanesque buildings and sculpture throughout the south-west of England, King of Dust explores Alex’s own learning process alongside the potency of the ancient stonecarvings themselves. As he does so, Alex discovers how stone connects us with others through time and realises that working with his hands helped him find a place in the world.
