Elm on a concrete foundation with steel
fixings
Commissioned by Symbister House Arts Project with
funding from the Scottish Arts Council
Sighted at Symbister, Whalsay, Shetland
Length 7.5m
1999
The source of imagery for the structure comes from the surrounding
environment, reflecting the movement of wind and waves, the
surface perhaps bringing to mind the synchronised motion of
fish swimming in a shoal. The layered structure forms a double-sided
shell, suggesting the form of upturned boats, or an open clam.
A person approaching the work would see this shell like form
and then the view through the work to the landscape beyond.
The sculpture frames the distant landscape, and creates an optical
illusion where the landscape is magnified or brought forward
within the frame. On entering the sculpture the person would
find shelter from the persistent Shetland wind suggesting a
peace to be found only in the shelter of a building, or underwater
or in death. The twisted timber strands that weave together
within the shell can make the association with seaweed turning
in an underwater current. People living on the island of Whalsay
know the sea as a giver and taker, and live with the shadow
of what may be lost in pursuit of their livelihoods. A friend
who saw the work told me it felt like a memorial to a schoolmate
who had been lost at sea when his trawler ‘The Gaul’
went down. Other people have referred to the work as ‘female’
and ‘like a womb’.
