Project Extinction, 2025

God's House Tower, Southampton

From Dorset to Sussex, under the busy pavements and natural spaces of Britain’s South Coast, is a near unbroken sequence of rocks that span 200 million years of Earth’s history. Hidden in Stone is an exhibition about shifting continents, changing climates, and evolutionary radiation.  

Told through multiple stories, Hidden in Stone explores Jurassic oceans, Chalk seas, Cretaceous dinosaurs, Tropical Hampshire and the ice age, with several ‘stops’ along the way. Discover the rich heritage of fossils literally beneath your feet as you wander across the South Coast, from Kimmeridge in Dorset to Hastings in Sussex. 

Alongside fossils and life-sized models of dinosaur skulls and jawbones, you’ll also encounter a newly-commissioned, collaborative artwork, Project Extinction, made by BA Fine Art students at Winchester School of Art, University of Southampton (UoS).

Project Extinction is a large-scale flat pack sculpture in the shape of a ceratosuchops dinosaur. Hidden in the the body of the beast are smaller artworks, individual contributions from the students involved.

Hidden in Stone is a collaboration between scientists and artists, museums and galleries, to bring you our latest understanding of the evolution of the South Coast of England, through changing climates with a cast of prehistoric creatures and the arrival of humankind. The research was carried out by researchers in the University of Southampton’s Gostling Evolution and Palaeobiology Lab, in Biological Sciences, and the Department of Archaeology.   

This exhibition is brought to you by ‘a space’ arts, The Gostling Evolution and Palaeobiology Lab (UoS), the Department of Archaeology (UoS), Karen Fawcett Studios and Winchester School of Art (UoS) in partnership with Dinosaur Isle, Friends of Dinosaur Isle, The Etches Collection, The Hastings Museum and Gallery. 

Group Project by Courtney Madley, Grace Atkins, Lucy Grant, Abby Dixon, Brooke Apicella, Lisa Babbé, Jason Kwong, Jess Moorhouse, Katarina Kemp, Anzhi Xie and Carla Hay.

Poster Photograph by Lucy Grant.