Unravelling Shetland

TOUCH DOWN

I arrived on Sunday 7^th March after a gruelling 12 hour journey that started at 4am in the hubbub of Gatwick airport. The Glasgow-Shetland flight in a twin propeller plane afforded several incredible vistas when the clouds parted, including a unimpeded view of a cluster of low-lying islands, peninsulas, voes, cliffs and stacks that scattered as we descended into their midst; the runway a tiny strip of tarmac which stretches right to the water’s edge, engulfed by the winter green landscape and the ceaseless pounding of the north sea waves.

I jumped into my hire car and sped off to my lodgings. Well, it was worth the pain of the journey. I am staying in Gletness on the South Nesting peninsula in the cutest chalet with stupendous views overlooking the south and north voes of Gletness and the south and north islands of Gletness – not the most varied of names, however having scrutinsed my map of the area, I was delighted to find that the southerly part of the North Isle of Gletness (which is, by the way, about 200m across) is called “Aiplin”, let’s say a Shetland namesake, why not!

Voe, a small rural community of around 300 people, is named for its situation at the head of the Olna Firth, one of Shetland’s longest voes. (Voes are the Shetland equivalent of Norwegian fjords.) The school takes its name from the voe and has two classes, in total 33 pupils.

This commission, entitled Create Play Contemplate, is to create a sculpture that inspires play and is linked to the themes of interconnectedness, family and contemplation.

Prior to my arrival, I came up with ideas towards the themes and media of the piece. Since touching down last Sunday, my initial thoughts have consolidated as follows:

Knitting

Central to Shetland’s industrial and cultural heritage, I would like to pay homage to this whilst adding a contemporary flavour. Adults and older people from Voe will be invited to impart their knowledge and skills during the community and school sessions, demonstrating typical patterns and motifs, what they represent and how they are made. These motifs could be incorporated into the designs for the artwork.

Family and Interconnectedness

I propose to run an intergenerational project. Parents and grandparents will be invited into the school to work alongside the children, collaborating in skills sharing sessions and, subsequently, in contributing to fabrication of the artwork. Family groups will be encouraged to attend the community sessions in the community hall.

Play

The play element will be contained within the finished artwork. I intend to work together with the groups to design a piece of artwork that, if possible, is interactive and invokes play.

Media

Having assessed the site, the aim to create interactive pieces, and the time available for completion within the desired timescale, I have come to the conclusion that sculptural artworks constructed using mosaic and concrete/stone are the best solution. My objective is to design something contemporary and out of the box with a ‘wow’ factor, yet sensitively designed specifically and appropriately for the site chosen.