Installations
Following my exhibition, “New Beginnings” in February 1994,
I had moved into Courtyard Studios at Irvine’s Harbourside and
spent most of that year experimenting with light reactive media. I had
built a small dark room in the studio with fluorescent and ultra violet
lighting so that I could see the different effects on the work I was
producing.
1995. Music and Mystery
“New Beginnings”
was a collaboration with local composer/music teacher Bill Kerr. Bill’s
ambient music added to the overall effects of the exhibition and would
be the beginnings of an exciting time for both of us, each inspired
by the other’s work.
We were commissioned by Cunninghame
District Council to produce an installation in the main hall of the
Valley Arc arts centre Glengarnock as part of the Cunninghame Festival.
We would also collaborate with the Council’s Parks Department
in turning the venue into “Another World.” Lighting and
music was controlled from a small room outwith the hall, but with a
window looking into it from a high viewpoint. I had prepared hundreds
of feet of calico by staining it with various colours of ink, giving
the cloth a tonal quality under UV light. I then spattered it with Luminous
and fluorescent paint, which made it eerie in darkness. Tropical plants
were laid round the walls and an island was created in the middle of
the room, as there was a grand piano that was too heavy to move. We
just built around it by using the plants and three palm trees were hired
to give height. On top of the piano, I sat a plaster cast of an Ian
Cooper head sculpture on a piece of luminous paper which lit up the
head in darkness.
All the plants were sprinkled
with luminous pigment first, then fluorescent, so that they would be
colourful, and also seen when there was no light. I made lava by mixing
luminous and fluorescent pigment with wallpaper paste and laying it
in two basins at different heights with the tubes from a fish tank pump
going into each batch and under cut down buckets so that air built up
before escaping and causing large bubbles. Bill’s piece of music
had a part that sounded like bubbles bursting. He also had thunder in
the piece and the lighting was disconnected by a rocker switch, giving
the effect of lightning. I made musical notes with Willow, painted them
luminous and hung them from light fittings in the ceiling. String was
also dyed fluorescent and dotted luminous so that you had broken lines
moving in the dark from the two office type fans that were set up. Before
anyone entered the installation, smoke was released as the music began.
Narnia
Following the success of “Music and Mystery,” I was asked
to produce another Installation in the heckling shop at the Glasgow
Vennel Museum Irvine for the children at Christmas time. This was once
again well received and Bill’s music was perfect. We had the loan
of Paisley Museum’s lion as our Aslan.
1996. Out of the
World and into Largs.
Renowned Spanish writer,
Medardo Fraille, was commissioned by the council to write a short story
with a Largs connection and this would be the community event for the
Arts Festival. His story was scripted and various local groups of young
people were to be the cast in this multi media production. I provided
the setting in the Brisbane Centre, Largs, and Bill composed music once
again.
1998. Santa’s
Twinkle Grotto
I was commissioned by Kilmarnock
town centre to produce Santa’s grotto in a vacant shop within
the Burns shopping mall.
1999. The Land o’
the Leal
This would be the biggest
Installation to date as it was in a Nissan hut measuring eighty five
feet by thirty five. Eglinton Country Park commissioned this one as
part of environment week and most of the material used came from within
the park.
2002. Africa
I was commissioned by North
Ayrshire Council to create an installation on the theme of Africa for the
storyteller Malcolm Green. I transformed a classroom at the Abbey Primary
School in Kilwinning into an African jungle for National Tell a Story Day
which was 25 October 2002. All primary 7 pupils from Kilwinning's schools
attended the event.
2003. Fairy Tales and Fantasy
This Installation was
commissioned by North Ayrshire Council, and held in St Mary's church
hall, Saltcoats, as part of the 2003 Children's Festival. It was installed so that
storytelling sessions for school children would be more ambient.
The storytellers were Margaret Smith, Kate Hibbert, Wendy Welch, Jack Beck
and Frances Logan.
2004. Stepping Stones to Sea Stories
This year's installation for the storytellers that was held in
St Bridget's Primary School, Kilbirnie.
The Beast's Lair
Installation at the Magnum Leisure Centre prior to the panto,
Beauty and the Beast.
If you have managed to get
this far, then you will have noticed that I managed to cut down on the
secrets!