Could you tell us what drew you towards collection 1.0070 and how you started to navigate the early stages of your research?
Initially, I was drawn to the beautiful, and often fragile, quality of the digitised 35mm film footage from the collection and the range of their content. Eventually I focused on black-and-white imagery. My early research involved spending time watching and re-watching the films provided, taking screenshots/stills and compiling and arranging the images. Partly, this was done as a way of understanding the content of the footage: breaking down each part almost into storyboards and key images. Viewing them as a stranger, I enjoyed the process of getting to know the characters and experiencing snapshots of their lives. As the project developed, it became apparent that there was far more material than I could feasibly work with and some editing would be required.
Have you worked with archival material before and, if so, could you comment on the importance of responding to historical records within your practice?
Working within archival and heritage-based projects has been central to my current practice and development. My most recent work engages with concepts of craft, material and place, motivated by an investigation into my own family heritage (researching the life of my grandfather, a fishing Ghillie in Aberdeenshire) and material culture. Through this work I feel I have established a connection with a man I have never met as well as uncovered a deeper understanding of our links to the past and our collective connections to heritage and tradition. This connection with heritage has translated into other recent projects including developing work for exhibitions, large-scale community projects and public artworks. I make people’s connections with heritage tangible through using archival material and found objects.
From a technical perspective, could you describe the process of creating A Still and Fragile Moment?
A Still and Fragile Moment was created through a variety of techniques including digital manipulation of imagery, which was applied onto slipcast ceramic forms by means of screen-printed decals. The forms themselves were cast from cameras that would have been used during the same time period. These cameras were sourced from a local market. I proceeded to make multiple-piece plaster moulds from them, which would go on to be used to slipcast the forms in coloured porcelain. These resulting forms were fired in a kiln up to 1,220 degrees Celsius. Alongside this, film stills were selected and composed on A3 sheets using Adobe Illustrator. These sheets were then used to make up the screens for printing the decals. Once complete they were applied to the surface of the slipcast camera forms and fired further to 840 degrees Celsius.
The work captures moving images and ‘stops’ them in the porcelain. Would you agree with this statement? Could you expand on the concept of pairing film footage with sculptural objects?
Although my original intention was to include moving projections of film footage onto ceramic forms directly, the use of stills became more important to the work. As previously mentioned, during my early research period I began by ‘storyboarding’ the films through the use of screenshots/stills. I came to view these stills as having their own sense of movement in the way that they were ordered and applied onto the surfaces of the forms. Applying images from different films on the same form was a way of conveying how I had viewed and organised the footage, which often jumped between different subjects. Each ‘still’ told me a story and had a rich history relating to different points in this particular expat’s life. The fact that the footage had no sound also contributed to the choice of a material that could be perceived as mute. Porcelain provides a fragile quality in its finish and it was this sense of fragility that was so captivating in the original footage.
A Still and Fragile Moment comprises 12 pieces that can be configured in two different formations. Could you explain the various installation possibilities?
The various installation possibilities allow for the work to be nomadic, adapting and changing according to its environment. While I have suggested two different formations, its configuration can vary depending on where it is based and who is installing the work. The formations I suggested, such as stacking one camera on top of the other, further reference the geophysical/geological themes that originally inspired them (including cairn formations) as well as relating to the imagery and tonal values printed on their surfaces.
Are there any strategies or themes developed during the Saudade project that you are keen to take forward into future works?
As previously mentioned, working within archival and heritage-based projects has been central to my current work and development and it is something I am keen to explore further in my practice. In particular, I will continue to use research-led strategies for my next response to archival material as well as exploring the idea of multi-generational craft and collaboration. The project has allowed me to further consider themes of memory and home.