The latest exhibition in Da Gadderie, open from 3rd September, is inspired by the North Atlantic Drift, a powerful warm ocean current that continues the Gulf Stream North East. It is a life stream that vitalises the sea, land and people of the North Atlantic.

Individually the artists have explored the themes of nautical navigation, remnants of ancient cultures and coastal geography. Together they reveal the many ways that people and places have been touched by the North Atlantic Drift.

Ingrid Arthur graduated from Edinburgh College of Art in 1981 with a BA (Hons) in Tapestry. She has worked intermittently on tapestries since then, as well as working in the family business and raising a family. Robyn is her eldest daughter and Clare is a friend and fellow weaver from college days. Ingrid’s work reflects her roots in Shetland and is influenced by history, geography, time and tides. She explores the remnants of previous societies connected by the North Atlantic Drift as well as more recent traditional ways of life. She focuses on marks, crafts and traditions left behind by past cultures, and explores the themes of ageing and weathering. Her work continues the great tradition of storytelling in North Atlantic culture.

Clare Coyle graduated from Edinburgh College of Art in 1981 with a BA (Hons) in Tapestry. She has since worked both as a professional weaver and as a tapestry teacher in further education. As a regular visitor to the Northern Isles of Orkney and Shetland, she has drawn on her interest in archaeology as a source of inspiration for her work. Clare’s images reflect her interest in the way societies alter the landscape and leave their artefacts behind. In her most recent work Clare has looked towards coastal edges, tidelines and beach-combed objects as a source of new ideas.

Robyn Marwick graduated from Edinburgh College of Art in 2009 with a BA (Hons) in Intermedia Art and has since been travelling and working on Tall Ships as a deckhand. She has always been inspired by the sea, growing up in Shetland instilled a passion for all things nautical. Learning about navigation and sailing on a fully rigged ship has introduced a more specific avenue of focus in her work; the idea of crossing great distances, knowing where you are, where you are headed and working with the elements to get there. In North Atlantic Drift Robyn is focusing on the theme of tides, looking at them in connection to navigation and journey.

The exhibition runs in Da Gadderie from 3rd September – 9th October 2011. For further information please contact John Hunter at the Shetland Museum and Archives on 01595 741559 or exhibitions@shetland-museum.org.uk 

Source: Shetland Amenity Trust