Scottish Parliament

Abstract

I was selected for this commission as I have exhibited often in Scotland, and have work in the National Collection. My proposal was to photograph different regions - the highlands, including specific mountains; the coast; and lowland areas near Edinburgh. I chose areas I knew very well, and some I didn't, but most had a particular historical significance. There were two other photographers chosen, and the work hangs permanently, with artwork given as gifts, or from National Collections. I photographed some areas that are well known, but did them in in my usual style of abstraction and metaphor, seeking out details, and broader visions, and challenging an overtly romantic perception of the landscape. The prints show a graphic and personal view of Scotland, are archivally processed, and fall into a fine print tradition of black and white photography. The work has a historical context, as I chose places of relevance, such as sand dunes at Lossiemouth, near to where Ramsey Mac Donald, the first Labour leader was born; the brooding pass of Glencoe where the massacre took place; 'Schiehallion' the first mountain in the world to be mapped by contour lines, due to its pyramid shape; the waterfall 'Black Bob' at Pitlochry, formed by the Edradour burn which feed the smallest whisky distillery in Britain.