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This amazing pier is where I started my day, having a walk with my dog in the calm, steely Shetland grey skies, this is the pier for catching the ferry to Mousa Broch, but we are out of season now and it is closed. Walking along the beach we saw seals swimming and resting on the rocks. It is like a sculpture, beautifully constructed from laid stone, the clear sea water gently lapping.

Following on from the meeting yesterday I now have an extensive list of people to contact, including retired fishermen,  herring gutters, authors, local historians and community members. This morning I spoke to a lovely woman Adelene, an ex herring gutter who also runs the history group in Burra, she began to tell me many interesting stories and she has offered to gather together a group of gutters later in November to tell me their tales.

Then went into Lerwick to do practical stuff like collecting my now fabulously, repaired computer and to order some timber to make the display cases for the traveling FishVan collection.

I love going into Lerwick to wander around the harbour, not only is this the site for the sculpture, it is also a place full of intriguing forms. It struck me how much of Shetland consists of muted greys, greens, peaty colours yet the boats and harbours are full of bright, fluorescent objects and hard industrial materials, it is a stark contrast and lifts the greyness, makes me think about the sculpture, how it will be seen from out at sea as well as from the street and how it can maybe make use of colour.


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Sunrise looking out the window at 8.00am

 


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Objects found on beach walk this morning. My computer got a virus yesterday so has gone to be repaired, not a good start at the beginning, and left me feeling lost without it, so this is using my phone only now which is why posts maybe briefer, will be back on Tuesday, phew.
Today I went to Lerwick, the largest town on Shetland to have a meeting with the project partners, our first. The meeting was at Shetland Catch who are a partner and are one of the largest companies in the processing of pelagic fish. The project is to celebrate the importance of the fishing heritage to Shetland and how deeply it is woven into the social and economic heritage of the Island and the people.

This part of the project is to research and meet people, I shall be developing the FishVan, which will be a community project to tour, gather and meet people all over the islands, you do not have to scratch very far to find a connection to fishing with most families.

The FishVan will be a mobile resource to gather personal objects, anecdotes and memories related to fishing. This weekend will be spent designing and making the cases which will be for display, so tomorrow is a trip to find Builders Yards.

 


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