Reframing Stone Waste: Material Evidence, Craft and Custodianship

Through her report, Reframing Stone Waste: Material Evidence, Craft and Custodianship, Marlo Lyda explores why usable stone is often discarded and how it can be retained as a valuable resource. As part of her George Alexander Foundation Fellowship, Lyda travelled through Greece, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom between October and December 2025, visiting quarries, workshops, museums and specialist training centres. Drawing on discussions with craftspeople, practical experimentation and historical examples, she examined how stone fragments can be reused without losing the marks and stories they carry. The report argues that stone waste is often the result of systems and processes rather than material limitations, and identifies practical opportunities for Australian designers, fabricators and educators to support a more thoughtful and resourceful approach to stone reuse.