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Sinking, 2018

In considering the idea of a thin place and how one would interact with it, the concept of “sinking” into something comes from my experience of sinking into a bog, on the Isle of Iona. This feeling was one of being swallowed or enveloped by the landscape.

 

Sinking, 2018, toner on paper

When looking for the Scottish Gaelic spelling and pronunciation for “sinking”, I came upon the phrase:

eadar dà lionn (edər da: LʲũːN), which means;

1 semi-submerged, half submerged

2 between wind and water, sinking and swimming

3 undecided, in two minds, unable to make up one’s mind*

Detail of Sinking, 2018, toner on paper

This colloquial phrasing resonated with how I visualise the concept of existing in a liminal space. Part of the mysterious nature of a thin place is the journey that one takes, not only to get to the geographical location, but the journey into the state of in-betweenness. This journey is situated in both the physical and the metaphysical realm.


*Anon. (2019) “sinking : eadar dà lionn”. Am Faclair Beag online Gaelic-English Dictionary

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All images and content is Copyright © 2024 CC-BY-NC-ND. All rights reserved. Katie Hart Potapoff.
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