The Earth Below The Sky Above
How I Turned Layered Landscapes Into Photoweaves
People who see my Fabricated Land photoweaves in person often ask for the stories behind them, so over the next few weeks I will be discussing specific works from the series, getting under the hood of the theory, history and process behind the final weaves.
In Scotland, I find myself looking anew at familiar landscapes as I research their history. It becomes increasingly clear that the shorthand dichotomies associated with Scottish land – highland versus lowland, natural versus man-made, past versus present – are not necessarily in opposition but rather concurrent, woven together as distinct threads that are visible close up, like pixels on a screen, or tiles on a mosaic. Black remains black and yellow is still yellow, but together the diverse visions of landscape modify one another, their colours flicking back and forth like a Bridget Riley painting.