Monday 2 May 2016


 #DAK 01- Reflections - Other work'

Outside the comfort zone is always an interesting place to be, it's there to side foot you, to challenge what you think you know and in the case of #DAK 01, to come up with something within an environment and pretty damn quickly!

As part of The Planning Dept collective alongside fellow artists: Graham Patterson , Felicity Bristow & James Wyness we put on an inaugural exhibition housed in the old bakery in Jedburgh. The collective aims to put on a number of exhibitions a year in spaces that are no longer in use, to highlight the environment's past life and  to make work inspired by the site.




The walls had the most amazing patina, caused by years of water ingress leading to a variety of coloured organisms growing on its surface! First site visit was in early Feb and it was colder in, than out and that really continued up until the exhibition's opening; not completely true, it was still cold, just not as cold.

I felt a sense of connection when seeing the space with the series that I had been working on: Hidden History + Hidden Meaning = the use of textile pattern suggesting interior (decoration) space and the expression “ if walls could talk” alludes to the passage of time; it comes down to layers, the act of editing internal space both physical and mental scars, erosion, revelation and ultimately, the trapping of time. This became the starting point.






Taking a textile screen with a Fleur De Lys / Damask motif, I began to explore the idea of past domestication; the bands on the wall suggesting dado rail, I printed directly onto the wall using a metallic copper (historically these motifs were associated with wealth = class) and the fact that the print did not always adhere due to the unstable nature of the wall's surface lent itself to the idea of previous ownership. 






Next was to make wallpaper and to apply a clean version of the 'dirty' wall onto itself.




Finally adding drypoint etchings







Working on this scale was a new challenge, it was important that the wall itself was an integral part of the image rather than as a support for hanging the art work. I wanted the viewer to look at the naturally occurring elements within the wall as much as the additions; to this extent the printed matter was placed in a non traditional format to help to facilitate this.

Another dimension to the project was the temporary nature of the exhibition itself, adding another layer of time to the history of the bakery's internal environment. Apart from the etchings, the rest remains and will eventually be covered up as part of any refurbishment but, will always be a part of its Hidden History. 


Felicity Bristow

James Wyness

Graham Patterson

James Wyness

Graham Patterson

Felicity Bristow



Sound James Wyness

Another exhibition that I am pleased to be part of is:



Curated by Inge Panneels the exhibition is the culmination of a three day residency at the Haining in Selkirk. The remit was to create works in response to  the site (house and grounds); temporary interventions that were both individually and collaboratively made. Whilst technically not part of the full 3 day programme, (having arranged a day for our students to take part) I couldn't resist returning for the last day to take part. It was great to see what was being created, to see so many propositions utilising a wide variety of media and hear so many voices embracing the challenge.

The Hive was created with Inge, as we walked around the grounds we both thought that the hollow in a tree needed something: The Hive. The cool thing in doing this work was getting to use glass glue cured by UV enabling us to construct the piece without it falling apart, which the initial non glued version did!



                                         





On the way back to the house to glue the glasses I recorded the sound, this resulted in the idea to combine it with the installation.



The next installation involved one of two stained glass windows that I came across when clearing out my Father's house, I have no idea of their origin and kept them because .... this led to 'Absence' 
There are a number of ideas at play in this installation. The window as a portal, looking into the past, the stained glass with religious overtones, whilst the burn continues to wash away/cleanse/ purify our memory/ soul. An act of remembrance.







Alongside these forays into the unknown I have endeavoured to maintain the same approach in my studio practice. There is very little, if anything, that comes close to the intensity of feeling when engaged in the act of making work, those moments of serendipitous delight, but, of course, the voyage of discovery is beset by the inevitable turbulent waves of doubt! 



110cm x110 cm                                                                                                                    Thinking of the Bakery Nō1




110cm x 110cm                                                                                                             Thinking of the Bakery Nō2




Thinking of the Bakery Nō3




110cm x 110cm                                                                                                                Internal Edit - Random Act




110cm x 110cm                                                                                                                          Absence of Memory





110cm x 110cm                                                                                                                                          Ooh



work in progress 110cm x110cm