Timespan, Helmsdale, until 2nd October 2011

THIS latest exhibition at Timespan is the culmination of a three month residency by visual artist Graham Fagan following the cyclical path of the river from hill to sea in Helmsdale and the Strath of Kildonan.

Universal images of nature are dominant in his new HD video work Baile an Or, accompanied by seven short films by members of the local community; Podi Plass, Ben Keighley, Sean Robertson, Heather MacDonald, Lisa MacDonald, Brian Adams and Jacquie Aitken, who worked with the artist during his residency.

Still from Graham Fagan's film

As a sequence of fixed frame images Baile an Or is certainly well composed and communicates universally symbolic images of nature; timeless cycles of growth and decay in the seasons, the buds in spring, the ice and thaw of the Northern winter and the ceaseless flow of the river. There are references to local landmarks and history such as panning and the Kildonan Goldrush, and a ruined stone cottage evocative of the Clearances.

However, the nature of this imagery is essentially scenic rather than penetrative or insightful. The landscape is pivotal in relation to cultural identity, but Baile an Or ironically feels more like a series of postcards than a deeper examination of cultural histories or the poetics of visual language. While appreciation of natural beauty is universally appealing, fixed methodology in terms of the moving image sustains a pleasing but largely unchallenging view of the landscape and of the Highlands as both empty and naturally beautiful. The first assertion is a national myth and the second we already know.

Images such as a rusted bedframe being overtaken by natural growth are reassuring in terms of the continuation of natural cycles of life, but the identity of East Sutherland feels subsumed beneath this undergrowth. Guest Curator Kirsteen MacDonald describes the way in which “the film doesn’t illustrate a community” but changes in nature “that frame human experience and create conditions of work and life”. This dominant universality could be arguably be observed anywhere.

Still from Graham Fagan's film

There are hints of a capacity for greater depth of exploration in terms of visual language; in the juxtaposition of image and sound within the moon/ tolling clock tower sequence, in the isolation of memorial text within the frame and in the image of water slowly engulfing a single stone in a river bed, an interesting symbolic image of contemporary rural life.

However, the immovability of the frame of reference doesn’t allow for the fluidity of perception and imaginative engagement with land, people and memory unique to this place to actually be felt. There is an overall tone of the safe and familiar throughout the exhibition that does not help facilitate depth of enquiry or understanding of “our place” on the part of the outside viewer.

Human memory is what defines us, it is intrinsically linked to cultural identity and while I am certain that familiarity of place will have resonance for residents in terms of memory and histories, both personal and collective, anyone not originating from the area will have difficulty unpacking this authenticity from what is essentially a series of pleasing views. The crafting of the image doesn’t allow perception of strata of experience, or the multi-layered nature of place. Painting, Photography and Film are equally capable of capturing this fluid reality and engaging the viewer in a way that reveals cultural histories hidden in the landscape. Baile an Or simply doesn’t go far enough to uncover them.

Still from Graham Fagan's film

Films by members of the local community contain the seeds of future explorations of place and identity and it was great to see this work in dialogue with Baile an Or.

The Ice House by Brian Adams presents a local historical landmark in an interesting way, particularly in relation to the interiors. Beneath the vaulted ceiling the camera captures the texture of stone and shafts of light penetrating the gloom, glimmering wires suspended from the ceiling-like fishing line, evoking the building’s origin as a herring store. There are times when the viewer feels submerged under water due to the play of light and shadow and the grainy texture of the image.

Exploring the location tonally allows the viewer to imaginatively enter the space and experience a more multi-layered sense of place than simply filming a fixed shot of an interior or exterior of the building. Use of camera movement and lighting in The Ice House really beg further investigation and potential stylistic development. How the composition is framed by the film maker is pivotal to our reading of the image, our emotional investment in and understanding of the subject.

Podi Plass’s short film Fin also shows promise in the way that the soundtrack, movement of the camera, manipulation of film speed and reverse sequences of film capture the laid back character of the film maker’s younger brother with both humour and affection. In a wider sense the film also captures a moment in life, of carefree childhood and play. With more experience and development of film craft, Plass’s easy observational style could potentially evolve into something distinctive.

Still from Graham Fagan's film

Sean Robertson’s imaginative The Meeting of Worlds with its multiple selves and special effects was a delightfully unexpected take on identity, stepping beyond glens and outside the box. Sound (especially on the busy opening night) was problematic but the concept stood out amongst films which predominantly placed the natural world centre stage.

A Fisherman By Heather MacDonald cleverly uses assembled objects of flotsam and jetsam from the shoreline together with shots at low level and through foliage to bring the viewer closer to the subject. The construction of images from beachcombing is also evocative of childhood and although some of the natural imagery was repetitive this short had an engaging quality to it as a trigger of memories. In this way it was both uniquely of its place and universal in appeal.

Baile an Or is a fantastic focal point for debate about perception of place and identity in the Highlands and the relationship between residency and community, and it is encouraging to see the work of film makers in the community as a result of this artist’s residency. Baile an Or will be explored further in a talk by lead artist Graham Fagan at Timespan on 2nd September (7pm).

© Georgina Coburn, 2011

Links

• Timespan