Sarah MacIntyre from Loch Carnan, South Uist, who has recently completed her M.A. at Edinburgh College of Art, presents a fascinating exhibition of her recent work.
Sarah says;
“My recent work explores themes of charting, marking and signaling in relation to the landscape and how we move within it. The Hebrides, Uist in particular, have strongly influenced my work offering a unique contrast and closeness in proximity between land and sea.
Much of the work references imagery used in sea charting and navigation. From early admiralty charts through to sonar and new fishing technology I am interested in how technology has affected our experience of the landscape. Our reliance on technology has in many ways caused us to lack the same observation of our surroundings that was present in past generations. Structures such as lighthouses and buoys interest me greatly and I often use light within my work as a motif for communication and knowledge.
I have been interested in the oral culture which exists in the islands and its connection with the landscape for some time. This interest lead me to make a vinyl recording of Gaidhlig stories for a previous piece of work. The tradition of passing down knowledge through stories is incredibly valuable to our understanding of our surroundings, I became particularly fascinated with place names, often not included on maps, and their history.”
Photo by Gordon Williams on Unsplash