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Monday, September 24, 2018

Peace and an exhibition

Barry and I spent International Day of Peace here in the Highlands this year. We had hung our weather grams and peace doves at home before we came away; but brought a few pieces with us to hang near the cottage on the day as well.

It was quite breezy!

They hang on the gate to the cottage...



We had been to Thurso on Wednesday to deliver the peace bookmarks to the Library for folk to share.


And the timing was right to view the exhibition at the Art Gallery there.  Called Flow Works, it featured two artists Shaun Fraser and Hannah Imlach.  They were both wonderful but I fell in love with Hannah's detailed analysis of the peat bogs and the exquisite and perfect resolution of her works.

As a lover of process, it thrilled me to see some pages of her notebooks, and then understand where some of the inspiration for the work had emerged from.

The work is based on the Forsinard Flow area - which is nearby us - a special peat bog environment and an area where the peat is studied in minute detail - the things that grow there, the environment and the water quality.

These works are inspired by the grains of pollen preserved in the bog. The sculptures link to the meteorological devices used to measure wind. Their form is that of the birch and hazel trees that grew here long ago. The golden orbs move in the wind...




 Meticulous is the only word for it.

The pollen radiometers are shaped like the crowberry and common heather pollen found preserved in the peat. They measure the amount of sunshine...




I don't know the scientific inspiration for these rain water collectors, but the microscopic visual imagery that inspired them is clear...




Each work is also intended to be activated by the conditions of the bog - filling with rainwater, spinning gin high winds and measuring solar radiation.  Simply astonishing.

2 comments:

  1. what a beautiful peaceful place you have found!

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    Replies
    1. Yes, very special Mo. You would have loved the environmental links to this exhibition as well I am sure.

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