Historically, the act of adornment; wearing jewellery; a badge or an amulet, was a means to tell the world who we are, what we stand for, or whom we would like to be. These relatively small objects had the potential to speak of large issues. The works in this collection, incorporate found materials that appear to have little monetary value, shells, quills, minerals etc, yet they demonstrate the rich biodiversity needed by the other species that humanity lives alongside. These works distil thoughts and ideas into a badge of affiliation, a momenta mori for a world whose biodiversity is reducing year on year.
PEW RINGS
The close grain of this 150-year-old pitch pine signifies that it grew in a very cold northern climate. It was later fashioned into church pews that resided for 60 years in Mangersta’s Free Presbyterian Mission Hall in Uig on the west coast of the Outer Hebrides. This modest building was the mid-week place of worship for local residents until the 1990’s. This wood will now encircle a finger in a different type of veneration, one that honours the biodiversity of a small beach on Lewis. Some of the pieces in this display contain additions such as a ‘cup’ of seaweed; a ‘mermaids’ purse’ and the spinal disc from the tail of a porpoise.