Inverness Museum and Gallery, until 25 February 2007

J.M.W. Turner's 'View of Inverness'.

WITH VISUAL ART so conspicuous by its absence at the recent reopening of the refurbished museum and gallery, it was with a sense of relief that there is actually an art exhibition taking place in the building. On display in the entrance foyer, strangely separated from its original source of inspiration, is a fascinating collaboration between 15 young people from Inverness High School, artist John Macnaught, and writer Mick Parkin.

JMW Turner’s ‘Inverness From Across the River’, a watercolour painted in 1833 and on display upstairs in the museum, provided the inspiration for the project. Utilising digital imaging and printmaking to provide a modern view of Inverness, what is striking in the use of technology is how the finished prints bear the same visual qualities as the original watercolour.

In a painting such as Turner’s 1844 work in oils, ‘Rain, Steam and Speed’ we can see the artist’s engagement with his own industrialised age. The use of digital techniques here seems beautifully in tandem both with the sprit of another age and of our own.

Students used digital cameras as electronic sketchbooks to capture scenes around the city, six of which were chosen and then enhanced using Adobe Photoshop. The inkjet prints were then printed onto Japanese Tonosawa paper and oil-based relief ink mono-printed over the inkjet image.

The 150-year-old Albion Press at the Highland Print Studio was used as part of the process for the oil-based printing, “adding glazes, colour, depth and tone” to the digital images. What is refreshing about this whole approach is not the use of technology for its own sake but the layering of old and new ways of producing an image that enhance the viewing of Turner’s original work.

Modern Inverness is depicted by a series of views including the interior of Eastgate, looking up the High Street and down the Market Brae Steps. A view of the Ness Bridge with almost biblical shafts of light in the sky and Falcon Square seen at an acute angle are particularly striking.

Dappled light and fading edges into sepia, these images capture the atmosphere of Turner’s work as a tinted vision of modern life. Modern techniques and play of light mingle with history.

The presentation of the prints mimics that of the original watercolour in terms of size, softness, lack of resolution and the way they are float mounted and “bleed” torn to the edge of the image. Although a photograph of Turner’s painting has been shown with the contemporary prints, it is no substitute for the original.

On display with the images are a series of poems written by students. “Hunted” by Amy O’Donnell and “Bridge of Dreams” by Drew Watson were particularly memorable for their imagery, strength and emotive quality.

It was a shame not to have equal insight into the writing process as the imaging technique. Perhaps the Scottish Museums Council, Scottish Book Trust and Highland Council Cultural Coordinator’s Program, who jointly funded the project, could produce a publication to compliment future viewing of the Turner watercolour as part of IMAG’s permanent collection.

This project is a powerful argument for the way that works of art can contribute to our understanding of our own environment and time, and this is reflected in the actual process used to create these new images.

It is a pity that with so few works of art on display as part of IMAG’s refurbishment the opportunity for this type of exploration has been severely limited by lack of access. I hope that an active policy of acquisition for works of visual art, display of works already part of IMAG’s collection and a greatly expanded education programme will be central to a new IMAG building.

‘Inverness ReViewed’ has wider implications for future projects and also for the imaginative use of digital and printmaking techniques to engage with historical work. This approach to art education sets a great precedent and should not be an isolated project. This is an exhibition that functions on many levels and has created some inspiring new literary and visual work.

© Georgina Coburn, 2007

Links

Inverness Museum and Art Gallery