(Spring magazine 2021).
Lines of Beauty | In the Studio with Meg Rodger
There is a 4,000-year-old Neolithic standing stone row on Meg Rodger’s croft on the island of Berneray in the Outer Hebrides. Over time, Meg has studied the monument and realised that it lines up with the equinox – the point at which, twice a year, the sun is exactly above the equator, resulting in an equal length of day and night. “It got me thinking about deep time and temporality within this landscape,” she says.
In February 2019, I spent a three week art residency at Textílmiðstöð Íslands, the Icelandic Textile Centre in Blönduós on the Northern peninsula overlooking the Greenland Sea.
The purpose of my art residency at the Textile Centre was multi-faceted.
At home in the Outer Hebrides in Scotland, I am both an artist but also a shepherdess of a flock of Hebridean sheep with a knitting yarn business The Birlinn Yarn Company.
It is believed that the ancestors of my sheep were brought to the Hebrides by Norwegian Vikings around 850AD. Hebridean sheep are part of the North Atlantic Sheep breed and are related to Icelandic sheep that were also introduced to Iceland by the same Norwegian Vikings.
I was, therefore, interested to find out more about the ancestry of my Hebridean sheep, to research the Viking link between the Hebrides and Iceland and to spend time with Icelandic sheep farmers.
Of course, paramount to this was the opportunity to set aside time for new creative practice but this time bringing together my life as a crofter/shepherdess and art work.
What surprised me during my residency was discovering the strength of the link between Iceland and the Hebrides. Icelanders refer to the Hebrides as ‘suður eyja’ the Southern Isles. In the Icelandic Book of Settlement ‘Landnámabók’, Shetland is referenced twice, the Faroes three times, Orkney seven times but the Hebrides are mentioned twenty-two times. Many of the early settlement areas share place names with the Hebrides such as Hekla, Grimsay, Pabbay and Barra. There are in fact several places in Iceland named after our island of Berneray, which I discovered is named after the blond headed warrior ‘Bjorn’.
Further to this, through genetic studies it has now been concluded that 80% of the settling males in Iceland were from Norway whereas 62% of the settling females were Celtic or Hebridean. However, to further strengthen the case for links with the Hebrides, it has been discovered that there are two kinds of mitochondrial DNA that are unique to only Icelanders and Hebrideans. So it seems that the link between Iceland and the Hebrides is much more than just sheep.
‘The Laxdaele Saga: the story of Aud the Deep Minded’ and her family, is a romping Norse tale of war waging, love and bravery.
Aud the Deep Minded is recognised as being the first and possibly only woman to establish a settlement in Iceland in her own right in 895 AD.
She was born to Ketill Flatnose a mighty and high born ‘hersir’ chieftain in Norway. However, the rise of the domineering King Harald of Norway meant powerful families had to either give up their lands to the King, be chopped into pieces or flee. Ketill Flatnose chose the later and fled to Ireland where Aud married Olaf the White, the self-appointed Norse King of Dublin. Olaf was a hot headed warrior who, after the birth of their son, was killed in battle.
Aud then fled to the Hebrides where, in due course, her son Thorstein married and had a family of seven children. They were settled there for some time until Thorstein, who had taken to warring far and wide in Scotland, was killed by his own men.
Aud was at this time in Caithness, she then commissioned a ‘knarr’ a Viking ocean going boat to be built in secret in the woods. On its completion, she gathered all her remaining kinsfolk and men of high status as well as several slaves and set sail, with herself as captain, first to Orkney, then Faroes (marrying off her grand daughters en-route) and finally arrived in Iceland to claim settlement lands in the Broadfirth-Dales in 895 AD. In due course, she divided up her land amongst her people and announced her slaves free men of Iceland.
For so many reasons this is a great saga of Norse history, the migration of their people and a powerful, intelligent female leader. It also further demonstrates the strong links between Iceland, Scotland, Hebrides and Ireland.
During my art residency at the Icelandic Textile Centre in Blönduós, I focused on exploring the qualities that are specific to North Atlantic sheep fleece. These fleeces have two layers: an outer layer ‘tog’ with fibres 8-12cm long and an inner layer ‘thel’ which is short and fluffy.
This is a characteristic shared with both Icelandic and Hebridean fleeces so it was very relevant research.
The resulting art works explored the different qualities of these fibres through knitting, felting and binding. They also responded to the cultural heritage of wool work dating back to the Vikings and more recent times.
Roagvalfeldur cowl
The Vikings wove the long outer layer ‘tog’ wool fibres into what was called ‘roagvalfeldur’. This was then worn as a furry cloak that, due to the water shedding properties of the ‘tog’ fibres, was both weather resistant and warm. This fabric was so valuable that it was used as a trading pile from 850 AD until around 1350 AD in exchange for other goods.
Instead of weaving, I experimented with knitting these long fibres into a cowl. The result was quite successful and I plan to knit the long fibres of our Hebridean sheep into a similar cowl though in black Hebridean fleece to contrast the white Icelandic fleece.
Felting DNA
Part of the aim of this visit to Iceland was to discover the history and potential genetic links between Hebridean and Icelandic sheep. My work represented this genetic variation through exploring the different colours of North Atlantic sheep, which range from black through various greys and light browns to pure white. I did so by felting the under fleece fibres ‘thel’ into hollow sausages which were then snipped into ‘polo-mint’ shapes. By laying them out flat a picture begins to build of the huge range in fleece fibre colour. This is still a work in progress as my aspiration is to collect as many fleece colours as possible from all the North Atlantic sheep.
Pradaleggur Sheep Skulls
On my visits to the sheep farms I was often presented with a ‘pradaleggur’, referred to as being made by the farmer’s mother or grandmother. A ‘pradaleggur’ is a sheep thigh bone scrapped clean and sometimes coloured, around which was meticulously wrapped tapestry threads as a means of keeping them. The resulting thread patterns were very beautiful and the women took great pride in the process of carefully wrapping them. Icelanders have been historically resourceful with nothing going to waste, hence why they use the bones as a useful object. In our culture, we have become quite bone adverse and I was interested in the beautiful patterning of the tapestry threads contrasting the material quality of bone.
I was kindly lent several sheep skulls by local farmers for my research. I explored the potential of the ‘pradaleggur’ by wrapping weaving yarn around the horns and skull bones. By combining different coloured threads this produced interesting patterns which for me were reminiscent of Harris tweed. At the end of my residency, I returned the skulls but some farmers were very happy to receive them back with their horns wrapped with threads.
I would like to thank all the staff at the Icelandic Textile Centre for making us so very welcome and for all their help and advice during our stay. The art residency was everything I could have hoped it would be and I would thoroughly recommend it if you get the opportunity.
I am also very grateful to Comhairle nan Eilean Siar and Creative Scotland for the Visual Arts and Craft Makers Award that I received which made this wonderful experience possible.
‘In Her Elements’ featured artist in The World of Interiors, March 2019. Photography: Antony Crolla.
© The Condé Nast Publications Ltd
LIFE AT THE EDGES: Science Gallery, Trinity College Dublin
How do things survive in outer space, on the bottom of the ocean or inside volcanoes? Why do extreme environments excite our imagination and our drive to explore? How do inhospitable environs inspire new technologies, designs and methods?
From terraforming planets to tracking microbes on geothermal vents, this exhibition explores LIFE AT THE EDGES. Who are the scientists and designers preparing for a future of frontier living and what might we find living in the most unexpected places like lava tubes, Antarctic mountaintops or Martian permafrost? Will humans ever inhabit the moons of Saturn or the deep sea, or have we already contaminated the last frontiers with space junk, plastic gyres and invasive species?
Shipping forecast
57°43’17”N 7°10’5”W
1100 UTC Thursday 22 February 2018
Malin, Hebrides - South 6 to gale 8. Rough or very rough, occasionally high at first in northwest Hebrides. Rain or showers. Good, occasionally moderate.
(Wind drawing - left)
Shipping forecast
57°43’17”N 7°10’5”W
1700 UTC Monday 26 February 2018
Malin, Hebrides - Southeast 5 to 7. Rough or very rough. Fair. Good.
(Wind drawing - centre)
Shipping forecast
57°43’17”N 7°10’5”W
2300 UTC Tuesday 17 April 2018
Malin, Hebrides, Bailey - South 7 to severe gale 9. Very rough or high. Showers. Good, occasionally poor.
(Wind drawing - right)
Each drawing 90 x 90cm
Tyvek on aluminium
In 2017, after what seemed like a lifetime of careful planning, the members of Crew 181 finally embarked on their mission to discover new worlds. A crew of six total strangers, made up of people from every corner of the globe and under the orders of Commander Klos, were to experience the unknown first-hand and for the first time. These brave pioneers were to deal with long and challenging days, connected living spaces, dangerous terrain, an unpredictable climate and uncertainty that nobody could be prepared for.
The Iron Ring explores how contaminated mining grounds may benefit from the mining of metals. To create the exhibit, 24kg of iron-tainted grass was removed from contaminated mining grounds and transformed into a ring of metallic iron weighing 2g. The project elaborates on the possibilities of using the cleansing process of a naturalised, wild-growing grass called Imperata cylindric. The result is a scenario for iron mining that, instead of furthering destruction, could actually contribute to the rehabilitation of abandoned metal mines.
3.C.City is designed for our current global context, with climate change, rising sea levels and sinking cities challenging architecture to engage in urgent diplomacy among the species, and become an agent of change for the future.
3.C.City is a floating city, unbound by any national allegiances and designed to facilitate dialogue and discussion — between people, as well as animals — on the pressing environmental, political and social issues associated with climate change. It is a vessel and a vehicle of dreams. It is a centre for discussion and debate.
Danny is probably the first person to use molten lava flowing from a volcanic vent to create sculpture, which he feels is a deeply symbolic artistic gesture. He says, “When I form a sculpture from molten lava, it takes a mighty great leap in time from the creation of the earth to the brutality of the conquistadors or the nurturing of a baby’s bottle of milk.” To make art directly on an active volcano is incredibly challenging, but the difficulties only contribute to the excitement of successfully making sculptures from a material that has a direct link to the creation of our planet. The film was edited by Aoife Carey, with additional camera by Orla Osborne, Danny Osborne, and Gerry Wardell.
In 1977, the two Voyager space probes were launched, each carrying a golden record with music, sounds, and voices from Earth — just in case. The records also feature over a hundred digital images encoded as sounds. If an alien civilization picked up one of the Voyager probes a million years from now, what would they make of the information on the record? They probably wouldn't think they way we do. They might try to taste the disk, or try to find meaning in the way it feels when they rub their fingers on the grooves. Or they might try to decode the ancient, degraded images onto a forty-metre-long tapestry.
Most people think of Antarctica as white, gray, and blue, but beneath the sea surface, colour is anything but subtle. To capture the diversity of vibrant life that she saw during her seasonal work with the US Antarctic Program, artist Skye Morét compared colour pixels from 100 photographs taken above and below the waves of the Antarctic Peninsula. Fifty upper bars represent images captured of the land and seascape above the sea surface, while fifty lower bars exemplify the vibrant and varied world beneath the waves.
For each of the 100 photographs, pixels in the image were sampled from top-to-bottom, left-to-right, then sorted by color values and widened into a pixel bar wide enough to see. The interface area allocated to undersea hues was deliberately emphasised — with more pixels sampled — to highlight the abundance and importance of this life in the Antarctic ecosystem.
Murmur: Artists Reflect on Climate Change was curated by Jonathan Baxter and brought together a group of four environmental artists and one jeweller all concerned with climate change; Sarah Gittins, Chloe Lewis, Ellis O'Connor, Meg Rodger and Saule Žuk
Curator Jonathan Baxter on Murmur: Artists Reflect on Climate Change ...
"When thinking about this exhibition - the reality of climate change, the devastating impact it's having and will continue to have on the ecosystems that we all, human and non-human, depend upon - the word 'urgency' comes to mind. So why is this exhibition entitled Murmur - Artists Reflect on Climate Change? Shouldn't these artists - like all of us - be shouting out a warning or taking direct action?
It's tempting to think that action is what we need. (And, of course, we really do need action to address climate change.) But before we act we need to recognise there's a problem we need to notice the wonder: the abundant multiplicity of life forms and living systems that make up this teeming planet.
One way to take notice is through art. Both the making of art and the engagement with art. Indeed, as Anne Bogart has written, 'the true function of art' is 'to awaken what is asleep'. ...
This exhibition provided me with the opportunity to further explore my relationship with the elemental qualities of wind. As part of the exhibition, my Storm Barrel was deployed on the end of Ullapool Ferry Pier for two weeks and I am grateful to the co-operation and support of Harbour Master, Kevin Peach and ATS staff for the supervision of this process.
The Storm Barrel installation began with a wall of crisp, blank circles of paper. Everyday one would be removed and installed in the Storm Barrel at the end of the ferry pier. There the Storm Barrel would work away for 24 hours and when the barrel was opened the next morning it would reveal the wind drawing for that day. Each one was exhibited in the ferry terminal with the shipping forecast for the day on which it was generated, then subsequently moved to the exhibition space. Slowly the blank sheets were replaced by unique wind drawings building a record of the wind over the two week period.
The backdrop to this process is the rhythm of the Shipping Forecast, established in 1861 by Robert FitzRoy, formerly Captain of the Beagle on expedition with Charles Darwin 1831-1836. The Shipping Forecast is now 150 years old, everyday it has been a reliable and dependable life-line for anyone making a living from the sea.
Unfortunately, FitzRoy’s inspirational work in meteorology was not fully appreciated in his lifetime. He was lambasted by businessmen concerned that his forecasts kept their ships in port, discredited in the press by politicians seeking to further their own careers and under pressure to justify his forecasting methodology by competitive fellow meteorologist. Sadly, as a result, in 1865 FitzRoy suffered a mental breakdown and took his own life. For thirteen years the Shipping Forecast fell silent but those at sea and those who would listen, finally successfully lobbied Parliament for its return, resulting in the Meteorological Office of today. In 2002, in recognition of his ground-breaking work, the Met Office changed the Shipping Forecast sea area of Finisterre to FitzRoy.
During the mid 1800s, FitzRoy and his contemporaries researched and studied during a burgeoning time within the sciences. In particular, James Tyndall’s research was fundamental to the current climate change debate. On the 7 February 1861, he presented his conclusions to the Royal Society ‘On the Absorption and Radiation of Heat by Gases and Vapours’, what we now term ‘Green House Gases.’
Now in the 21st Century, for climate change scientists with the task of forecasting the future of our environment theories on green house gases are all too familiar. Unfortunately, though so too are the skeptics within trade, politics and the press. Forecasting climate change has many parallels with the groundbreaking meteorology Fitzroy and his contemporaries were attempting 150 years ago.
My wind drawings are comparable to statistical scatter plots. Each mark is a record of the direction and strength of the wind with the darkest areas representing the tendency over time. The patterning is similar to the statistics within the climate change debate, where there are so many variables that the associated scientists are constantly challenged to justify their forecast. Unfortunately, like my wind drawings, increasingly there is recognition that the inference is towards a dark pattern of change.
In honour of FitzRoy, the title of each of my wind drawings is the Shipping Forecast relating to the day on which the drawing was made.
If you look really closely you will see a wee yellow barrel left behind on the end of Ullapool ferry pier to start its drawing process.
Storm Barrel drawings generated over a 2 week period from Ullapool ferry pier location (N 57*90' / W 5*16').
Shipping Forecast - N 57*90'/W 5*16' - 8th August 2017 1030 UTC
Hebrides, Bailey
Cyclonic becoming NE later 4 or 5, increasing 6 at times.
Moderate.
Rain or showers.
Good.
Shipping Forecast - N57*16'/W5*16' - 14th August 2017 1130 UTC
Hebrides, Bailey
Cyclonic becoming Southwest 4 or 5.
Moderate or rough.
Rain then showers.
Good, occasionally poor until later.
Shipping Forecast - N57*90'/W5*16' - 15th August 2017 1130 UTC
Malin, Hebrides
South or southwest 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first.
Moderate or rough.
Rain or showers.
Good, occasionally poor.
Shipping Forecast - N57*90'/W5*16' - 16th August 2017 0405 UTC
Hebrides.
Southwest 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first.
Moderate or rough at first.
Showers.
Good
Shipping Forecast - N57*90'/W5*16' - 17th August 2017 1625 UTC
Hebrides.
Southwest 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first.
Moderate or rough.
Showers.
Good.
Shipping Forecast - N57*90'/W5*16' - 19th August 2017 0405 UTC
Malin, Hebrides, Bailey.
Westerly or North Westerly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first, becoming variable 4 later.
Moderate or rough becoming moderate later.
Showers.
Good, occasionally moderate.
Siantan: Elemental (2017) - Taigh Chearsabhagh Museum & Art Gallery, Lochmaddy, North Uist, Outer Hebrides.
A creative exploration with my fellow Uist based artist Peter Ferguson of our relationship with the atmospheric qualities of wind and weather that define life in the Hebrides.
This was an opportunity for me to continue my exploration of the Wind Works series presenting new works generated by interactions between the wind, pen and a simple tripod apparatus. As the artist, I make the decision with regards to the point at which the drawing is aesthetically complete. Different wind strengths generate a variety of marks, sometimes a weight or sail is added to explore where this might take the pen or what mark it might generate.
The backdrop to this process is the rhythm of the shipping forecast, always reliable and dependable, a life-line for anyone making a living from the sea. The title of each work is, therefore, the shipping forecast relating to the day on which the drawing was made.
As part of the exhibition I was artist-in-residence for two weeks experimenting with my Storm Drawing Barrel which was deployed outside on a daily basis regardless of the weather conditions. As it happened, the weather conditions were extreme. Extremely windy (Force 10) and extremely calm (Force 1-2), which resulted in drawings with a wide variety of marks and patterning.
Rockall, Malin, Hebrides, East Bailey
Southerly, backing southeasterly later, 5 to 7, decreasing 4 at times later. Rough or very rough. Occasional drizzle. Good, occasionally poor.
Rockall, Malin, Hebrides, Bailey
Southwest, veering west, 5 to 7, increasing gale 8 or severe gale 9.
Rough or very rough, becoming high or very high. Rain or showers, thundery and wintry later.
Moderate of poor.
Shannon, Rockall, Malin, Hebrides.
Variable 3 to 4 at first in East Malin and East Hebrides, otherwise Southerly 5 to 7 increasing gale 8.
Very rough or high, occasionally rough in Malin and Hebrides.
Rain at times.
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Shannon, Rockall, Malin, Hebrides, Bailey.
Southeast 7 or gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 except in Malin and Hebrides, decreasing 5 or 6 later.
Very rough or high, occasionally rough in east Malin and east Hebrides.
Rain or showers.
Good, occasionally poor.
Hebrides.
Southeast backing Northeast later 4 or 5.
Very rough becoming moderate or rough later.
Showers.
Moderate or good.
Hebrides.
Southeast veering Southwest 5 or 6 increasing 7 at times.
Moderate becoming rough.
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
At 57° North and exposed to the Atlantic, of all the elemental forces, the wind defines life in the Hebrides.
This body of work explores my relationship with the elemental qualities of wind. Each work has been created by an interaction between the wind, a simple apparatus and myself.
Malin, Hebrides.
Variable 4, becoming south 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 later.
Moderate or rough, becoming very rough later in west.
Showers, rain later.
Good, becoming moderate later.
Hebrides, Bailey, Fair Isle, Faeroes, Southeast Iceland.
Easterly or southeasterly, backing northeasterly in Fair Isle, 6 to gale 8.
Rough or very rough, becoming moderate in east Fair Isle.
Wintry showers.
Good, occasionally poor.
Hebrides, Bailey.
Northeast becoming cyclonic in Bailey, 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first.
Rough or very rough.
Wintry showers.
Good, occasionally poor.
SHIPPING FORECAST
The shipping forecast issued by the Met Office, on behalf of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, at 0405 UTC on Monday 1 February 2016 for the period 0600 UTC Monday 1 February to 0600 UTC Tuesday 2 February 2016.
There are warnings of gales in all areas except Biscay, Trafalgar, and FitzRoy
The general synopsis at midnight.
Low 300 miles west of Bailey 945, expected west Fair Isle 963 by midnight tonight.
Hebrides, Bailey
Southwest gale 8 to storm 10, becoming cyclonic severe gale 9 to violent storm 11. High or very high, becoming phenomenal for a time. Squally showers. Poor.
Hebrides.
Variable 0 to 4. Calm to moderate.
Good.
Vibrant Matter explores an altered perspective on the patterning of life.
The works originate from observations of satellite images of natural and manmade phenomena, and a fascination with natural forms observed under a microscope. This gave rise to consideration of the relationship between the micro and macro patterning of life.
Satellite images put life under the microscope but at a different scale. Is the patterning of our colonisation when viewed from above so different from the growth of fungi spores or lichen? Are we then merely a small part of a much bigger natural patterning of life, which is infinite, complex and far greater than ourselves?
The founder effect is the loss of genetic variation that occurs when a new population is established by a very small number of individuals from a larger population.
As a result of the loss of genetic variation, the new population may be distinctively different, both genotypically and phenotypically from the parent population from which it is derived. In extreme cases, the founder effect is thought to lead to the speciation and subsequent evolution of new species.
This body of work was a response to considering the founder effect when applied to the ecology of St. Kilda. The island now hosts its own St. Kilda wren, weevil and mouse - all of which have evolved in isolation and in response to the island’s habitat.
