Earth Compass
- Published:
- 06 March 2026
In partnership with the British Council, Seaton Delaval Hall will host works from the award‑winning British Pavilion exhibition of the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025, GBR – Geology of Britannic Repair. The exhibition at Seaton Delaval Hall is the first time the British Pavilion exhibition has toured to a National Trust property and is the only UK venue for the 2025 exhibition.
The exhibition was curated by a UK-Kenya team comprising, Kabage Karanja and Stella Mutegi of Nairobi-based Cave Bureau, Professor Kathryn Yusoff of Queen Mary University of London, and Owen Hopkins, Director of the Farrell Centre at Newcastle University.
Discover more:
Earth Compass
A sculptural and spatial piece installation in the Entrance Hall re‑centring architecture’s relationship to geology.
Double Vision
A reworking of the striking beaded veil installation that was draped over the British Pavilion, exploring colonial histories and architectural symbolism, making visible the “other earths” that colonisation displaced.
Elements from Rift Room
Models, drawings and maps emanating from the immersive installation focused on the Great Rift Valley as a conceptual and geological axis for rethinking architecture and repair.
Double Vision, taken from GBR - Geology of Britannic Repair at the British Pavilion, Venice Architecture Biennale 2025 | © Chris Lane 
An element of Rift Room, taken from GBR - Geology of Britannic Repair, British Pavilion, Venice Architecture Biennale 2025 | © Chris Lane
I'm honoured that the National Trust is bringing these works from the 2025 British Pavilion to Seaton Delaval Hall. This offers new audiences the chance to experience an innovative cross-cultural collaboration, while bringing a fresh take on the exhibition, placing it in conversation with the Vanbrugh 300 display and the North East Emerging Artist Award works. The Geology of Britannic Repair was always intended to provoke dialogue, and it is fantastic that the National Trust is creating this opportunity.
Together, these interpretive pieces extend Vanbrugh 300’s exploration of architecture by connecting British Baroque heritage with globally resonant themes of geology, colonisation, and renewal and consider architecture as a geologic practice.
You might also be interested in
Vanbrugh 300
Join the Vanbrugh 300 celebrations at Seaton Delaval Hall in Northumberland, a festival celebrating the life and work of Sir John Vanbrugh presented by The Georgian Group.
The North East Emerging Artist Award
Established in 2021, the award is inspired by Seaton Delaval Hall’s long-standing tradition of supporting the arts and encouraging emerging talent. It is open to artists from all artforms who are in or from the North East and aims is to showcase site-specific contemporary art in a historic context.
