MARCH 2015 ISSUE 15 1 EDINBURGH DECORATIVE & FINE ARTS SOCIETY NEWSLETTER The Unknown Alison Kinnaird MBE has an international reputation as an artist in glass. Her work is in many important collections, including the V&A Museum and the Scottish National Portrait Gallery. EDFAS was privileged to exhibit her installation Unknown at its November lecture, appropriately on 11 November. This glass installation is the artist’s response to the conflict in the world today. For Alison, glass seemed the ideal medium in which to comment on the fragility of human life in war. It is an army of up to 60 soldiers - and a few civilians: war affects us all. Jo Walton, Gail Guest and Alison Kinnaird The figures of the soldiers, each nearly half a metre tall, are ranged in regimented rows, but each one is differently engraved - a unique individual - although the first impression is that of a uniform army. They are not soldiers of any historical period: their clothing is based on modern army uniforms. They represent a universal soldier. Young men, each of them somebody’s son, brother, husband or father, are sent in our name, into dreadful situations. The installation makes references to the Terracotta Army of the Chinese Emperors. The rows of flat figures also refer to fairground shooting galleries, as do the target designs engraved on some of the soldiers. The techniques used in the installation combine wheel-engraving, an ancient technique which has remained virtually unchanged for thousands of years, with modern technology using water-jet cutting, by which the basic silhouette of each figure is cut from optical glass. The figures are lit with LEDs, invisibly contained in the base, which trap and transmit the light into each soldier. The installation was displayed in the Scottish Parliament for a month, and in St Mary’s Cathedral, Edinburgh for Remembrance Week, as well as the College of Physicians for the November EDFAS lecture. The reaction of the audiences has been extremely moving. In St Mary’s, the visitors placed their own poppies on the plinth. It is in Aberdeen Art Gallery until March, after which it will tour a number of Art Galleries, Museums and National Trust properties until 2016, in association with Poppy Scotland. The tour is supported by Museums & Galleries Scotland, The Binks Trust and Lester and Mary Borley. The tour dates may be found on www.alisonkinnaird.com. My Favourite Picture… Member Joyce Lugton shares her favourite picture. Titian’s painting The Three Ages of Man is a stunning allegorical painting but I like it because of its lyricism. To me the painting suggests that youth turns into decay, although the National Gallery notes suggest that the presence of a church in the background promises salvation to come. The narrative shows two charming babies who are being woken from their slumber by Cupid. When they awake and grow, they become lovers, but the next stage of their story is that only one remains, a sad and bent old man. So all things pass - the innocence of childhood and the love and idealism of youth. But the mood is optimistic. The colours are fresh, the landscape is idyllic, and the lovers are both beautiful and erotic. The lovers and the babies dwarf the old man, so it is they who capture the eye and the imagination. There is ‘The Three Ages of Man’ by Titain, on loan from a more than a touch of glad morning about this painting. Private Collection to the Scottish National Gallery Do you have a favourite picture, building, garden or sculpture that you would like to share with EDFAS members? If so, please contact the Editor. A Member Society of the National Association of Decorative and Fine Arts Societies EDINBURGH DECORATIVE & FINE ARTS SOCIETY 2 NEWSLETTER · MARCH 2015 EDFAS BURSARIES Members will know that for the last three years EDFAS has supported each year students at the Edinburgh College of Art. The bursary goes with the student for the entire run of the three or four year course. It has been very exciting to meet these promising artists and watch them develop. as much possible from the experience. I went to York and filled a sketchbook with various drawings, collages, rubbings, prints and markings. It was real back to basic research pushing us to think out of the box rather then going straight for Google. We had other projects such as creating a protest: I created an awareness campaign based around the dangers of sharing personal details on the Internet for anyone’s taking. We also had to create a publication, a long process and a lot of work. Mine was based around a theme of movement, and I created an A3 sewn bound document with each page consisting of a different shape, colour and layout with screen printed elements, so every time you turned a page you could see something totally different including the format. We also experimented with moving images, “playing” with film, motion graphics and sound and learning new digital software skills. Overall it was a packed, eye opening first semester and we have been promised next semester will be just as busy! Wren Hoskyns-Abrahall, Fiona Campbell, Gail Guest, Neil Hynd Orlaigh Murray, the first bursary recipient, has clearly Orlaigh Murray, Alexandra Bethwaite, Mairi Anne Maclennan had a very busy semester. Alexandra Bethwaite, BA Hons Sculpture, is this year’s During the first semester of my third year at ECA, I recipient of an EDFAS bursary. She writes about her experimented with digital making and casting processes. experiences as a first year student. After weeks of designing and creating a 3D form on the computer design program “Rhino”, I sent it to a casting My first semester so far has included woodwork and company, Weston Beamor, in Birmingham, who I had introductions into using the woodwork shop equipment the pleasure of visiting in October with my year group. to assist us in our first project. This was beneficial to my Before and during the design process, I studied sea life, sculpture practice, as I haven’t previously worked with specifically sea urchins with their texture and colour. wood so it was good to get an insight into using wood Based on this inspiration, I produced a unique jewellery as a potential material for my work. We also had a city range with my cast centre art visit around Edinburgh’s contemporary galleries elements, both in and sculpture parks such as Jupiter Artland. It was really silver and bronze. inspiring and refreshing to see some of the contemporary As a year group, we artwork exhibited in the places we visited. For my next held an exhibition project, I will be introduced to the techniques of casting. at ECA and at The National Museum of Scotland, displaying Mairi Anne Maclennan received her bursary last year and selling our work. and tells us how the work is going. This was such a great opportunity as During my first semester of third year, a lot of the we had to present work was heavily based around research, as this is an Jewellery by Orlaigh Murray our work in a important process we professional manner, must follow during whilst gaining the experience of working with sales and any design project. commissions. I have thoroughly We were given the task enjoyed my third year so far and am of going to another so happy that my jewellery range was city we had never so popular during our exhibition; I been to before for even had to order more casts! 48 hours without a phone, digital camera NB: Note the beautiful earrings or laptop and try to worn by the Editor which she take in and gather bought at Orlaigh’s exhibition! Work by Mairi Anne Maclennan EDINBURGH DECORATIVE & FINE ARTS SOCIETY NEWSLETTER · MARCH 2015 3 In addition to supporting students at the Edinburgh College of Art, EDFAS has also decided to give a scholarship to the Leith School of Art. Committee member Filly Nicol writes about the ethos of the School. Both of these projects support the aims of NADFAS’s Young Arts programme. The Leith School of Art is a unique independent art school with charitable aims. The School was established to provide a close and supportive environment where students are nurtured and challenged to achieve their full potential. From two hour Jen MacDowell and the Rector of St Peter’s, Lutton Place, classes, based in local community the Revd Canon Fred Tomlinson centres, the School also runs a full range of day and evening classes for the whole community, together with full-time professional courses. CHURCH TRAIL At Leith they believe that everyone can learn to think – an EDFAS first – and communicate visually; that art provides a means of understanding and enjoyment that enriches life and Jen MacDowell and Filly Nicol, with help from stimulates a fresh awareness of ourselves and the world Phyll Hoskyns-Abrahall, have written and illustrated around us. They believe in providing a framework in a Church Trail for St. Peter’s, Lutton Place, and which people can develop their own personal response successfully launched it at the family service on to their world. Sunday morning, 25th January 2015. A Church Trail is a question sheet that guides children and One of the fundamentals of the School is to offer tuition accompanying adults around a church and encourages to students irrespective of their ability to pay. To further them to engage with the architecture, history and this aim it has an Assisted Places Scheme to help furnishings. The aim is to stimulate 8-12 year olds and funding for the full and part time classes as well as its their families to learn about the building and inspire Community Outreach initiative: LIFE (Leith Into Further them to visit and enjoy other churches.