Inhabiting Thin Places
This year-long research project explored methods for documenting the embodied experience of being in a Thin Place, a term used to describe a marginal, spiritual, liminal realm beyond everyday perception. Of primary consideration was how one might document the liminal nature of a Thin Place. What evidence is required to indicate an embodied experience?
Most contemporary journeys (whether spiritual or artistic in nature) have been documented through photographic images. However, the very act of taking a photograph can result in removing oneself from experiencing the present moment, and instead, one is in a state of observation and voyeurism. To combat the dangers of that singular perspective indicated through a camera lens, the following outputs sought to expand the possibilities of documenting these experiences through various artistic responses.
Calanais Variations
One method engaged during this project was to draw directly onto small printmaking plates as part of field research. The following works are the result of experimentation in the printmaking studio. They represent an attempt to piece together bits of memory drawn onto waterless lithography plates on-site at the standing stones in Calanais (Callanish) on the Isle of Lewis. Multiple plates are used to compose variations of one's impressions of the stones. The shifting of the plates mimics the movement of walking among the stones and the fragmented way we remember places and experiences.
Eadar Dà Lionn | Sinking Into Thin Places
The culmination of this research project was an immersive installation comprised of three components: a large-scale drawing, a sculptural form with motion-triggered lights, and a soundscape developed in collaboration with musician Sean Cairns.
Photo credits Agata Urbanska.
Take a quick wander through the installation from the viewer's point of view and listen to the soundscape :
Video credits Malcolm Finnie.
Accompanying the exhibition was a limited edition artist book documenting the research practice and site visits. Click the cover to read the digital version.
