Perthshire Open Studio

Fanny Lam Christie and a group of artists have gathered together in an airy woodland at Fanny's home in Blairgowrie to install work inspired by the environment. 
(off Brucefield Road on the Coupar Angus side of the co-op on the Dundee/ CA road out of Blair)

Heartwood

 
Fanny's 'Blanket' is inspired by the growth of lichens on trees; close inspection brings a surprise

Frances Law gathered natural finds outside her tepee

and brought them inside to decorate the interior

Su Grierson decorated the interior of Fanny's summerhouse

with images of, and inspired by, plant and other natural materials.

Roddy Mathieson brought his mobile forge into the wood

and with the help of two young volunteers on the very big bellows,

made a fire, hot enough to smelt metals taken from the earth.

He put pieces into the crucible, where they melted rapidly.

He poured molten pewter into various types of casting mould; this one is of pressed sand with a pattern engraved into it.

When the pewter cooled, it was cast in the form of the pattern drawn in the sand.

Elodie Lefebvre's breathtaking 'ogon – no - ki' cast a surprising and gratifying light on a fallen tree.

Alice Betts' installation sends a laser like beam of light through the wood, creating a visual barrier similar to boundary tape.

Her balloon columns welcome audience participation to rearrange colour schemes.

Shona Leitch's 'Hangin’ On' has an athlete balanced in mid air, on a metal hoop, the figure's link to the ground.

Kyra Clegg has written with artificial flower heads on a wall that is less visble than the written message 

Anita Hutchison too, has written on the chain link wall;


with sewn descriptions of the bark of different trees, in spirals, on blanket squares.

Kenny Munro has messages written inside the traditional Calcutta river boat

which unites rivers and trees of Scotland and India, as well as the peoples of these countries

and one of his inscriptions tells of the boat's journey through Finzean, which is where I walked through the wood to travel to Monkquell wood, in Blairgowrie.

Heartwood is open every day until 5pm on Sunday 11th Sept.
For more information on Heartwood, see Perthshire Open Studio