(Post by Kay)
Today we had a meeting with the director of Shetland Museum and Archives, and the education coordinator, first day back for both after several weeks on leave. So it’s been a while coming, considering this is probably the most important meeting of the residency. Only one week left!
We talked through all the ins and outs regarding our plans for the exhibition, the minutiae of the opening event, the workshops that will accompany the show, and many more things besides. The opening day looks set to be packed with activities, starting at the museum with a workshop in the morning, followed by an afternoon opening and ending with a performance event at Mareel.
We then had a very productive walk around the gallery space, planning the layout, interpretation, documentation and hanging. It feels like it’s going to work! It’s a lovely space. I have a lot of walls to fill! But actually, I don’t necessarily. Less is more was the director’s attitude. So I think I will concentrate on making panels for two walls facing each other, which are pretty far apart as it is a big space. It will be darkened, with seating down the middle, and the sound will be a four-channel system with small, stand-based speakers positioned around the listening area in the centre, where visitors will be able to sit and look at the walls whilst being immersed in ambient sound. We will have an ante-room with a simple description of the exhibition, then the work in the main space and another ‘room’ on the other side containing more detailed interpretation, all the documentation, including a video (hopefully), the maps showing the locations and routes of the walks, and a series of smaller ceramic panels for sale. We also plan to publish an artist’s book/catalogue/CD.
After that we met some friends for lunch in the museum restaurant, which was wonderful especially as Frances, the community development officer who was my main point of contact when I was here working on the public art commission before, is 8 months and 3 weeks pregnant. So there may be a new arrival while we are still here…!
Then in the afternoon we went off seal hunting. One sound Joseph has not managed to record yet is seals. Strangely we have not seen many seals during our time on Shetland. So we have been asking around about where we can find some, of course, in a quiet spot away from human/traffic noises…not easy! Especially as it seems to be the wrong time of year. So we did not find any, even after following the track over the stile at the end of the field and round several rocky coves….nothing. So Joseph recorded a trickling stream and waves crashing against the rocks instead while I filmed flowers and grasses blowing furiously in the wind for our promo film. Oh and collected a few more specimens hitherto ungathered on other walks…
In the evening we went off to visit some more friends who live in an amazing house – formerly a croft – that has been painstakingly renovated by the owner (as everyone seems to do here), with impressive dexterity and skill (considering he is not a builder by trade). The view is straight out over the water where they watch the resident otters regularly. We didn’t see them unfortunately, but while we were there, we watched all kinds of birds swooping around and a marvellous sunset. Vaila and Dougie have horses, ponies, sheep, boats, and a lovely family. We all sat around the kitchen table swapping stories. Charming.
