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From South Georgia Museum
Preparing to write this blog entry I looked at my last contribution, written fresh from arriving on the Pharos FPV, when South Georgia was snow covered, the first cruise ships due were still far north and I had no idea what to expect from the coming months. Back then I anticipated an incredible time here and it really has been.
It’s snowing here again today as it probably was when I wrote my first museum diary at the end of winter. Weather-wise it has not been South Georgia’s best summer but as a Scot I’m used to bad summers.
South Georgia and the base at King Edward Point has become a real home over the last few months. It has been such an amazing experience to spend half a year here and live in such an incredible place. When the cruise ship passengers quiz me over their souvenir purchases, on life on a remote island, I can’t help but feel incredibly lucky and a little guilty telling them I have 6 months to experience this amazing place when they only have a few hours.
The season has been very busy at the Museum. The team has changed a little from month to month and everyone has been great. Us ‘Museumies’ as we have been nicknamed, have a pretty great time over in Grytviken, working hard on lots of projects at the museum and having a good laugh over our spicy noodle lunches and occasional evening g and t’s!
After working a lot with Steve Massam during his time here I have learnt a lot about casting and have had the chance to design new items for the Made in South Georgia souvenir range. I have worked to produce a range of Sperm Whale teeth cast in resin. There is a plain undecorated tooth, a cast tooth with a map of South Georgia and I have also made a limited number of unique scrimshawed teeth with original artwork.
Over the last few weeks (when not a Scrimshandler!) I have had some time to work as an artist in residence here, gathering research for my art practice and making some new work. I have a little studio space set up in the museum and a sketchbook full of ideas.
As part of my work I initiated a project involving everyone on the island. In my own work I have used maps specifically of South Georgia to make drawings about the island. As a continuation of this I planned to make an exhibition in South Georgia, about South Georgia, for and by the people who live here. A few weeks ago I gave everyone an identical map of the island and asked them to use it in any way they wished to create an artwork. I was really overwhelmed by everyone’s enthusiasm for the project and creativity.
On Friday the 19th Feb I brought all the work together in an exhibition titled Mapping South Georgia, displayed in part of the Whaling Station. I had picked a covered area for the exhibit, sheltered from South Georgia’s changeable weather conditions and displaying all the artwork amongst the abandoned machinery of the Meat Cookery. People could explore the semi-derelict space and find the works, nestling amongst rusting tanks and processing equipment. The space worked perfectly and was very like some of the industrial spaces used by many modern art galleries back in the real world.
We had a great opening with a few bottles of fizz and we even had some non local visitors from that days cruise ship. The works looked fantastic together. There were drawings, paintings, collages, 3d work, a tapestry piece, an origami penguin with chicks, a poetry book and even an animation about the history of South Georgia.
I couldn’t have been more pleased with the success of the event. Every piece was so different and unique, and together created a visual map of this place, with many approached and responses to the Island that really were poles apart.