songs from the beginning of the world

The first part of my research based arts project "Chasing the Ghost of Angus Mcphee" a bespoke hand made and very limited edition grey cloth box containing a set of six new screenprints. The prints examine contemporary Scottish culture and its fractured relationship with the past through an exploration of identity which pulls together many diverse strands and influences such as outsider artist Angus McPhee in the grass woven costumes worn by the children as well as tribal fetishes and outsider art versions of everyday cultural icons that the children of the grass choose to worship.

This work provides a bridge between an ancient past and an unknown future for a hebridean culture and the broader Scottish culture. These tiny fragments are all we have left of our ancient Scottish nation and who we once were when we were culturally whole. Are the children ghosts from the past haunting our present or are they confused cultural warriors fighting to create a new future?

The ruins of old caravans, desolate vessels representing family and a transient relationship with memory and home lurk in the backgrounds of some of the images. In other more hopeful images we see new Ark structures built, Arks constructed from the debris of old boat hulls and deconstructed allotment sheds.

The texts reference political systems, ideologies, collective memories and calls for unity and are intentionally ambiguous, some ominous, some celebratory, some even threatening.

The background textures are an abstracted study of the orange lichens found by the coast in the Hebrides and explore both geology and mapping.

BOX SIZE : 51CM x 36 CM x 3CM

BOX EDITION – 8

BOX GREY CLOTH BOUND BOX WITH INSET SCREENPRINT ON COVER

PRINT SIZES : 6 IMAGES : EACH 50 CM x 35CM

5 colour screenprints on fabriano white paper

Produced in September 2013

 
 

The editions were produced at Highland Print Studio and the hand made boxed produced in collaboration with Sollas Books in North Uist with funding support from Creative Scotland and University of Edinburgh. 

The second part of the new body will be a series of large-scale mixed media pieces created from salvage collected on my travels in the Hebrides and be ready in the New Year after I complete my current creative Scotland residency for Year of Natural Scotland with SNH to be followed by a large scale sculptural Public art installation.