As part of the Year of Natural Scotland, four of the country’s leading environmental organisations are hosting a series of artist residencies. Forestry Commission Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park and National Trust for Scotland (NTS) will each host artists who will work with staff and local communities throughout the residencies.
For the National Trust for Scotland, artist Karen Rann will be at Brodick Castle, Garden and Country Park on the Island of Arran, while Nicky Coutts will be at the Inverewe Garden and Estate in Ross-shire. Their work will contribute to NTS major strategic plans to ensure the long-term sustainability of the properties.
Rann said: “Each new work is a response to the unique qualities of that place; the NTS estate at Brodick is huge and varied encompassing fell, woods, formal gardens and shore-line… The challenge and focus at Brodick will be re-imagining changes in the landscape, past, present and future; to see this place afresh.”
The Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park will be hosting Steve Messam, who will look at how the National Park’s resources can be developed, and the ways in which this can encourage more people to think creatively about caring for Scotland’s natural heritage. “I like working with landscapes and creating temporary works which peel back the layers of narratives they’re made from,” said Messam. “My often large-scale works act as interruptions in familiar views and help people see the landscape with fresh eyes.”
New ways to engage
Scottish Natural Heritage will be taking part in two residencies. Rachel Mimiec will explore and celebrate Scotland’s National Scenic Areas, while Mike Inglis will be based at the organisation’s conference centre at Battleby in Perthshire. “My aim is to work with the staff who are based at Battleby and visit here, and show them new ways to engage. I will be taking their expertise and mapping it in ways that they may not have considered previously.”
The Cuningar Loop – a new woodland park being created in Glasgow’s East End as part of a 2014 Commonwealth Games legacy – is the focus for Forestry Commission Scotland hosted residencies. Stirlingshire-based Rob Mullholland, who grew up in Glasgow, will develop designs for installations that will act as gateways to the new space, while Glasgow-based James Winnett will be looking at ways to encourage community involvement with the park.
“It’s the multifaceted nature of the site which interests me most,” said Winnett, “from its sheer scale and central location to its transition from a forgotten landfill site to a valuable refuge for nature – it’s a fascinating context to be working with.”
The residencies are supported by Creative Scotland through National Lottery funding. David Taylor, Portfolio Manager, Creative Scotland, said: “The artists will bring a fresh perspective to the ways we can see and understand the settings, and their ideas and the new work each will make as part of their residencies will provide significant input to efforts to develop and protect Scotland’s unique natural environment.”
