Shetland Museum and Archives, Lerwick • 16th April – 12th June 2016
A collaboration between ceramist Kay Aplin and sound artist Joseph Young following a residency at Scalloway Booth in 2015, the exhibition responds to the Shetland landscape through an immersive 4-channel sound installation that takes the listener on a sweeping journey through the unique sounds of land and sea, accompanied by a series of ceramic panels inspired by the indigenous “micro-flora” of Shetland, magnified to produce delicate designs of vibrant colour and texture. The collaboration is documented on the dedicated blog https://www.a-n.co.uk/blogs/shetland-project-with-j-kay-aplin
After an initial research trip, funded by a New Collaborations Bursary from a-n, we spent a month in residency at Scalloway Booth in August 2015, when we explored the landscape and soundscape of the Shetland Isles through walking routes mapped out with the aid of Shetland Amenity Trust.
The result is a collaborative installation inspired by the work of John Cage entitled “In A Shetland Landscape”, after Cage’s famous composition “In A Landscape”. The exhibition explores the experience of being part of a landscape rather than simply observing it, through an immersive four channel sound installation, that takes the listener on a sweeping journey through the unique sounds of land and sea. This is accompanied by a series of ceramic panels celebrating the indigenous “micro-flora” of the Shetland Isles, magnified to produce delicate designs of vibrant colour and texture.
Expanding the project
This exhibition is the focal point of an overarching project called Landscape : Islands, funded by the Arts Council of England, with multiple partners centred around ceramics and sound during 2016. Starting with Landscape: Islands, an exhibition of contemporary ceramics by artists living on or coming from islands whose work responds to the landscape around them, at The Ceramic House in May 2016, accompanied by sound art events in the new micro gallery space In Camera. In August a new residency programme for collaborative projects between artists working in ceramics and sound hosted jointly by The Ceramic House and Phoenix Brighton will take place. The results will be exhibited at Phoenix Brighton Gallery during the Brighton Digital Festival. At the same time “In A Shetland Landscape” will transfer from Shetland Museum to In Camera at The Ceramic accompanied by further performances and artist talks at venues including Brighton University. Finally, in collaboration with film and digital producers 51 Zero, the work will tour to Rochester and Margate during October and November, temporary exhibitions and performances. A sumptuous catalogue/artists book will be published accompanied by a CD release of the soundworks from “In A Shetland Landscape”, in collaboration with Portuguese label Green Field Recordings.
Shetland blog: https://www.a-n.co.uk/blogs/shetland-project-with-j-kay-aplin
