Veer North Exhibition

13 Oct 2004 in Shetland, Visual Arts & Crafts

Scalloway, Shetland, October 2004

THE SHETLAND artists group Veer North veered West for an exhibition in the village of Scalloway when they took over a disused knitwear factory, converting it temporarily into a gallery.

Frances Browne and her work

The use of the non-gallery space brought a whole lot of challenges. As Roxane Permar explains “ You need to do everything yourself which means hard work, team work and commitment, and having the tools for the job. The proportion of the space was initially inspiring but when it came to put the work in, there were all sorts of complications because of the fixings and fittings which we had to work round.”

Roxane’s own work couldn’t have found a more appropriate home than the old factory. Two of the films she was showing during the exhibition were “An Encyclopaedia of Knitted Stories” and “Dialogue” which featured both Russian and Shetland knitters, documenting the relationship between hand and machine knitting. A third film “Knit” was projected on to a big screen. The flying fingers of the knitters proved mesmeric.

Almost ceiling-high flew Andrew Graham’s metalwork raven inspired by a Jack Peterson poem Da Corbie with the lines

“A lowin flame,
Wi black een blinkin –
Nor devil wan
Keens whit he’s tinkin.”

One small room was occupied by light installations created by Frances Browne, which seemed to have distilled Shetland’s natural colours. Next door there was a display of ceramics by Veer North’s most Northerly member, Frances Wilson from Unst. You felt like reaching out to put your hand in the water that rippled over sand-like dishes strewn with shells, work obviously inspired by local beaches. Not so much storm in a teacup as beach on a plate!

“The standard of the art on show was very high.”

The other artist on duty with Roxane while I was at the exhibition was James B. Thomason, a self-taught Shetland artist who’s just returned from Australia. The influence of aboriginal art is evident in the paintings which almost shimmer with heat. “I didn’t think I’d like your paintings at all but they’re really very good” I overheard one lass inform him in a rather forthright manner. Having lived in Australia herself and appreciative of aboriginal work, she was apprehensive that James’ work would exploit the native tradition. Instead, she’d found it respectful.

The standard of the art on show was very high. Some artists had entered only a single work, others have several in the show. I hope that Jennifer Parry intends to have a solo exhibition soon. Of course, it’s good to see what everyone’s doing, but sometimes it’s better to be able to have time to study the range of which an individual artist is capable.

Veer North members are keen to raise the profile of the group and during the exhibition they held two events. “We got the people exhibiting to speak about their work, explaining where it came from, discussing technique and subject. I found that interesting.” Later on there was a Question Time-style panel discussion with influential individuals from Shetland’s art world as well as a senior SIC Councillor. “As a starting point to raise public awareness of the art that’s happening in Shetland it was great” Roxane concludes.

The group also had an interesting fund-raiser going on because they haven’t received any public funds towards the cost of the exhibition. Each artist had put down some cash and also donated a small work for a Silent Auction. Like lots of others, I picked out the ones I liked and wrote down my bid. I may not have been successful in that but what I do have is a new painting to hang at home. I just couldn’t resist a picture in pastels by June Redman. A track winds uphill to a croft house where there’s washing flying in the breeze. Simple and appealing.