(Kay)
Today we had a very useful meeting with Howard Towll from Shetland Amenity Trust. Howard is a ranger who knows the islands inside out – the geography, geology, natural heritage and basically everything we needed to know. The main thing we need help with is identifying the walks that will form the basis of our project.
The concept underlying this new collaboration is a response to the Shetland Landscape. We mean to do this by plotting a number of walks across the landscape, documenting sounds and images along the way. We have decided to focus on the Westside, due to its proximity to Scalloway as well as fulfilling the criteria of being able to get out of range of roads (traffic noises), biodiversity and wildlife. Nearly everywhere in Shetland could boast of all three things, but the western mainland, apart from being close to where we are, is famous for its spectacular scenery and is quite a large area with few roads and an abundance of destinations to choose from. We could quite easily spend more than the next month going for a different walk every day, so we will have to be selective! Howard helped us choose what he recommended as the best, but we still have a list of 15 when all we need is 5! He also gave me some tips about local flora to look out for and recommended a book about Shetland wildflowers that I now have in my possession.
So we are all set to start tomorrow with Walk #1!
(Joseph)
On the way home from from Aith we stopped off at the side of the road to capture some late evening panoramic shots and there was the most extraordinary sound of birds coming from the fields below. I had to stop and record them. Only trouble was the traffic… I managed to capture a couple of minutes sans cars. Will post tomorrow morning…
(post by Kay)
Today I road tested a new gadget acquired especially for this project. A digital microscope to look at plant structures in closer detail. I was pleasantly surprised to discover how easy it could be. Technological genius means that I am now in possession – for a very small outlay – of a simple digital instrument that acts like a camera and takes highly magnified images through the computer.
I am so glad I decided to try this technique in Shetland. Yesterday, when we were at the museum, I had a look at the display about local flora, which confirmed that Shetland has a much smaller variety of plant life than the rest of the British Isles due to its remoteness. So I need to look down at the microscopic world at my feet.
My aim for this project is to create panels of ceramic relief composed of multiple pieces depicting botanical motifs. This is a development of the Botanical Structures I developed during a residency in Denmark in 2014, which was exhibited in Brighton in the Regency Townhouse and in Fantastic Tales at The Ceramic House, and subsequently at European Ceramic Context in Bornholm, Denmark. It is also the first body of work I have created solely for the purposes of exhibition, i.e. not for a commissioner, in 20 years of working professionally as a public artist. It was such a revelation and a privilege to have the time to create something for myself, without constraints relating to time, budget or a commissioner’s foibles. The results confirmed that I need to continue to develop my own work, and this will be the second series of this type of work that for now I will call “Shetland Botanicals” (working title).
I picked a few samples of flowers and plants in Vementry where we went walking yesterday and this morning successfully captured images of them using the microscope. In order to use it, the flora really do need to be tiny!
Today developed into a fairly spectacular sunny afternoon and we decided to make the most of it and take the boat across to Bressay to get to Noss.
Noss is an RSPB reserve and is one of Shetland’s main seabird nesting sites. It has the most spectacular cliffs that are home to 45,000 guillemots, 7000 pairs of gannets and several thousand fulmars, kittiwakes and puffins. Luckily I have been there during nesting season, which is quite something – aurally, visually and you need to have a head for heights! However, we arrived at the crossing, where you wave across to the other side hoping the ferryman will see you and come and get you. Unfortunately today there were a few disappointed people scattered around and no boat coming – the red flag meant the sea was too rough to cross. We contented ourselves with climbing up to the disused coastguard lookout post on a high conspicuous hill with fantastic views of Noss, Bressay and the mainland, where Joseph settled into the ruins to make recordings of the wind reverberating through the crumbling stones….
(post by Joseph)
My first writing stint of the residency… This afternoon we went on a test recording and flower-spotting trip to Vementry and a small creek at the end of road in front of a solitary holiday cottage. The bird song was incredible in this open and echoing space, with the local bird population putting on a special show for us; which was probably their way of warning us off their territory. Whatever the cause, I had a blissful hour or more recording various species flying overhead, whilst Kay went off with her phone (our DSLR had run out of battery) to capture some more stunning images, which to be honest is not difficult. Everywhere you look on these islands provides you with yet another gorgeous photo opportunity!
The day had begun with a visit to Shetland Museum to look at Da Gadderie again, where we will be having our exhibition, measuring out the space and talking through the various design options of how we might install our work. It’s a big space as you can see and we are looking to create an immersive environment with minimal resources. We have some preliminary sketches now which can form the basis of conversations with the gallery later in the month.
Tomorrow morning I will get around to editing some of the sound clips, so that I can post them on Soundcloud and link to them here. Stay tuned…
