Semester Two - Open Brief
UNDER THE BIRDSONG
Inspiration for my work comes primarily from nature, and is currently focusing on ancient ruins. A personal interest in ancient ruins situated in the Scottish Highlands led me to acknowledge a lack of concern for such sites in my local area. In broader terms this has highlighted that people can live in an area as a stranger, disconnected from their locale. In more personal terms it has shown my own stance as a stranger in my birthplace and therefore leads me to consider my idea of being connected to particular places, or more specifically landscapes. The term landscape itself is open to interpretation on an individual basis, and where everything is potentially a landscape, personal ideas and ideals of landscapes are usually attributed more to emotions and connections to place.
My starting point was to visit sites of ancient ruins in Angus in an attempt to overcome being a stranger in my home area and potentially uncover a similar connection normally reserved for my landscape ideals of the Scottish Highlands. The penultimate visit to this “starting point” was a trip to Ross-Shire in April, visiting selected ancient sites, in an attempt to bring the two areas and landscape ideals together.
My main body of work was to react to the above visits in the form of works on paper. Inks are used freely to create loose, abstract and natural forms to capture the idea and emotions of landscape. Using materials in this form also highlights a tension between giving complete freedom to the materials on the paper and the artists desire to control their eventual outcome. These abstract forms are then worked back into, layered up with more marks and drawings to represent the ancient ruins visited, including both structures and Pictish symbols. These drawings and marks represent a time when man considered himself to be part of, co-operated with and wished to be closer to nature.
There are two distinct groups within these works:
The earlier pieces, on white paper, represent a more ‘earth based’, grounded, solid form, an attempt to recapture the emotion and actuality of the place/landscape.
The latter pieces (Under The Fyres), on cream paper, represent a more ‘air based’, spiritual form, relating to the idea of man connecting to earth spiritually and the worship of gods and goddesses.
Coinciding with these works is a sound piece, which aims to capture my reaction and emotions relating to the places I have visited. Sound can evoke images of landscape, connections to and memories of place. It also becomes important in terms of music listened to while working, which no doubt has a subconscious influence on my work. The sound piece itself primarily evolves out of sound recordings taken in my documenting process at various sites in Angus.
And For All The Sun And Light [2:05] (Final Sound Piece)
Under The Birdsong The War Drum Cries As The Tide Turns Red [5:15] (initial & longer sound piece)
All this combined aims to create the feel of a hidden landscape; fragile man-made ruins that have defied time and appear to have been reclaimed by nature, sacred places that humans still feel connected to, landscapes that saw man living in unity with nature, a time forgotten yet still surviving.