Eden Court Theatre, Inverness, until 26 May 2008

DUFI - Records

WHILE audiences will be accustomed to seeing framed works on the walls of Eden Court’s first and second floor foyers, this latest exhibition sees the creation of four new temporary works directly onto the walls. It is an exciting development and a good opportunity for audiences of all kinds to have exposure to contemporary work by Highlands and Islands based artists. Curator Sue Pirnie selected proposals from artists Caroline Dear, Nichola Burns, Rosie Newman and DUFI (a collaboration between artists Fin Macrae and Al McInnes) to use four walls as “canvases” with diverse and interesting results.

Skye-based artist Caroline Dear works in a wide variety of media including sculpture, installation, photography, artist’s books and basket making. Caroline studied architecture in Dublin and Hull, working both as an architect and landscape architect and this understanding of formal structure and design can be clearly seen in her work.

Since 1998 she has focused on her art practice, investigating “the balance and flow within nature” and “exploring our inner selves and outer physical landscape”. Her understanding of the environment is expressed through the use of natural raw materials such as grass, rush, heather and peat, a multilayered approach shifting between natural cycles of “growth and decay”.

This latest work, ‘Peat Markings’, leads the viewer ascending the main stairs of the theatre into a series of works that reflect the interior forms of the building and the external environment. The human act of “shaping the land” from the cutting of peat banks to the modern abstract of the bar code are echoed in her application of peat directly onto the wall, building mark and texture in a way that cleverly leads from one solid structural form to the next.

The progression between these three works is interesting, operating in a similar way to some of the artist’s natural photographic sequences. The final sequence of three is particularly effective utilising frames within frames. Subtly shifting our view and allowing it to surface and recede with the fine earthy textures of the peat, each field of vision is created with delicate and deliberate marks. The effect is optical and spatial but also psychological, reflecting the artist’s interest in inner and outer structures.

The initial work, a solid rail of peat which follows the level of the stairs, transforms into lines which accentuate vertical height and become progressively more fluid through the gradation of fine texture. Being able to appreciate the qualities of the natural material, we are also brought into a field of vision from solid formal dense lines to shifting frames of visual reference.

Although the reduction of aspects of landscape are highly formalised, not unlike Donald Urquhart’s approach on the exterior of Eden Court, here the artist suggests frame within frame experience of nature. This is experienced on a human scale and therefore on a personal level, suggesting a frame of reference that is as much about the natural environment as our own nature. Use of a material formed 5000 years ago sets up an interesting dialogue between material, the structural form within a built environment and the viewer. This work is as much a conceptual proposition as it is visual or tactile.

An accomplished glass artist, Nichola Burns trained in Switzerland, the Netherlands and the United States before establishing the studio Glasstorm in Tain with fellow glass artist Brodie Nairn. Her work includes installation, public art works, limited edition production pieces and one-off sculptural pieces which expand and explore the unique qualities of glass. This new work ‘The Journey’, combines the art of drawing with the fluid molten quality of clear glass in an energetic, delicate and complex pathway of threads and trails.

The composition intended to reflect in abstract terms the narrative “beginning, middle and end” of a “storyboard” or “musical score” links beautifully with experience and performance within the theatre. The whole piece, spread out over seven metres, has a symphonic quality to it, the apex of energy and visual focus in the centre also functioning in the same manner as a triptych.

Though colour is a strong element in the artist’s work, it is absent here, allowing the mark and material to speak for itself. The way that light catches the glass and creates shadow beneath the calligraphic flow of drawn marks is wonderfully expressive. It is great to see a drawing executed in this way and our expectations about the art of glass expanded as a result.

‘Take Off’ by Cromarty-based artist Rosie Newman explores “freedom and movement” in a series of joined panels of screen printed silk. Subtle tones and overlap give a natural sense of order to the flock of birds taking to the sky that is also random and asymmetrical. The shimmer of the material evokes the quality of light on the Black Isle.

However, this is somewhat masked by the hanging position, directly beneath the roof and creating shadow. There is the intention of physical movement here with the fluttering of the silk that is also hindered by the position. This is not in a part of the theatre where foot traffic or drafts can act on the work and so the image is more fixed than in flight.

A work that is right at home in this rooftop space is ‘Teenage Kicks’ by DUFI. In the shadowy light of the upper floor, complete with stripy carpet, their installation of kitsch lounge furniture and LP’s invites participation. The red glow of a 70’s lamp helps create a cosy interactive space in which to sit and contemplate the horrors lurking in your own record collection and relive memories of exactly where you were and what you were doing when that certain track was playing.

LP’s can be removed from the wall and played on the now aged (but not so old) stereo system, a wide selection of Elvis, Simon & Garfunkel, Michael Jackson, Blondie, Def Leppard, Johnny Cash, Scottish Metrical Psalms, Nana Mouskouri, Runrig, Marillion, U2, Disneyland Christmas Carols and The Sound of Music, among others.

In a world defined by technological upgrades it’s kind of nice to sit in a lounge chair with vinyl and laugh along (at yourself) with a work of art that doesn’t take itself too seriously. This is a really enjoyable piece of work – the “Family Health Doctor” book Q&A’s on the coffee table are particularly amusing and who could resist choosing an LP off the wall to play on a real live turntable again, safe in the knowledge that with the headphones on no one else can hear that you were once secretly addicted to A-ha!

Ever present is the DUFI signature tag in rainbow colours and portraits of the duo in guerrilla-like gas masks on LP’s among the random hanging of vinyl on the wall. “A homage to the importance of music in graffiti culture and also the importance of music on their developmental years growing up in the Highlands and Canada,” this piece strikes a universal chord. Nostalgic and upbeat in equal measure, ‘Teenage Kicks’ will bring you into contact with long forgotten memories and make you smile.

Accomplished artists in their own right, photographer Fin Macrae and graphic designer Al McInnes have collaborated on a number of public artworks using image and text as part of Inverness Old Town redevelopment. They have also worked on community projects using stencil graffiti in Mallaig, Brora, Fort William, Alness and Scourie, and provided backdrops for the goNorth stage at Rock Ness. It is interesting to see aspects of their streetwork presented as installation here on a personal scale with their trademark energy and humour.

It is great to see greater latitude given to Visual Arts in the new Eden Court building through the exhibition programme and I hope that this approach can be built on in the future to include other spaces throughout the complex. There is still much work to be done in the Highland capital to develop spaces to see a range of contemporary Visual Arts and in this respect the new Eden Court has a potentially significant role to play.

While navigation of the community and public art elements within the building are challenging, it is fantastic to see professional artists in the Highlands starting to be seen with regularity in a central location in Inverness. I hope that a Wall Works exhibition will become an annual event on the city’s exhibition calander, promoting professional practice and development by allowing artists to step outside their practice and push the boundaries of their chosen medium in a public space.

© Georgina Coburn, 2008

Links

• Caroline Dear
• Nichola Burns
• Rosie Newman
• DUFI
• Eden Court Theatre