We continue our series of Artist Profiles as we talk to Orkney artist Louise Barrington about her inspirations and how Japanese culture influences her work.
Louise in her Stromness Studio
I’m from Kirkwall and went to Glaitness Primary School we had a brief stay in Stenness, so I attended Stromness Academy and when we moved back to Kirkwall I continue going to Stromness. I studied at London College of Fashion before going to Central Saint Martins to do textiles design, after a few years I went back to art school to the Slade school of Fine Art to complete my MFA in Fine Art. I returned to Orkney in 2014 to work in the art department in the college, which is part of the University of the Highlands and Islands where I still work part time. In 2016 I started a PgDip in Island Studies at the UHI and moved into my studio in Stromness at WASPS.
View over Scapa flow - a continuous moving image
The view from where I live overlooks Scapa flow, it’s a continuous moving image, Orcadian artist Sylvia Wishart stated the same sentiment of her view overlooking the Pentland Firth. The flow of movement, rhythm and patterns from the changing seasons deeply impacts and informs my artistic practice. I will always be informed by it as I am part of it. Edwin Muir stated of his youth in Orkney ’A place where there was no great distinction between ordinary and fabulous.’ This everyday ordinary/fabulous allows me to re-imagine the vast landscapes of Orkney and the in between moment of dusk, dawn and twilight, has created a restrained colour palette for my work.
Poetic of Space, textiles 2018 © the artist
This in-between-ness resonates with the Japanese concept of Ma, Orkney is an edge environment that exists in the in-between times of dawn, dusk, twilight, and many more in-between spaces. Ma underpins this in my creative practice, as it takes into consideration the space between two distinct markers of space and time. My work is balanced between different mediums, between two spaces. The ubiquity with which the natural world is embedded within Japanese culture navigates my work in the Orkney context. Orcadian poet and film maker Margaret Tait is an influence, her approach of observing and processing the everyday, a knowing and unknowing we experience in our everyday ordinary/fabulous. There are many Japanese textiles artists who I admire. Their use of natural materials and space is a reference I go back to repeatedly. I had the good fortune of meeting Machiko Agano while visiting Kyoto Seika University in Japan, and would love to return.
Found Materials, 2009 © the artist
I was in the sculpture department at the Slade which is open to any medium as sculpture. I have worked directly in and with the landscape, collecting and exploring natural materials to dye fabrics and create organic structures using landscape as sculpture.
VOAR steel and natural dyed textiles, 2019 © the artist
My BA was in textile design at Central Saint Martins. I use different textiles techniques throughout my work, and over the last few years I have experimented with natural dye. I have worked directly in and with the landscape, collecting and exploring natural materials to dye fabrics and create organic structures. This use of found and harvested materials, influenced by seasonal patterns and change, sculpts the landscape through my sculptural work where a certain time and place is held within the work through the natural dye. In 2018 I did a welding course at the Orkney college and since then have welded my own work, which has pushed the scale further.
Skyran Quilt, natural dyed textiles, 2019 © the artist
The titles of my work tend to reflect my research at the time of making the work. I really valued reading Yi Fu Tuan ideas and concepts of space and time. I also gained a lot from my course in Islands Studies - learning Runology, looking at island literature and the history of the Scottish islands. The book Energy at the End of the world: An Orkney Islands saga by Laura Watts has informed a project I aim to undertake once funding falls into place.
Invisible Trace, wood and natural dyed textiles, 2018 © the artist
Any advice to other artists?
After art school it’s difficult to get the opportunity to talk about your work or ideas, it’s really important to make connections and be part of a creative community especially living away from the mainland. I’m part of Mòti collective which was formed in 2016 with graduates who showed in the Pier Arts Centre Stargazing show in 2015. A small group of us kept going and over the years we have had more members join, it’s been really valuable for me being back in Orkney to have a really supportive group.
Louise installing work at at the Pier Arts Centre
I am also a member of various organisations such as Scottish Artists Union, Applied Arts Scotland, Society of Scottish Artists, (where I’m the satellite representative for SSA), Scottish Contemporary Artist Network and WASPS Studios. I have previously had the opportunity to attend workshops or events on the mainland with the Scottish Artists Union but for the most part it’s difficult to do this. One benefit of lockdown is being able to attend various meetings, workshops and events which has been great to finally meet people even if this is online.
I teach Professional Practice with the BA students at the college and my advice to them is consistency. Even if that is 10 minutes daily and as simple as writing ideas and thoughts down - all of life’s experiences are valuable and in ways inform your creativity.
Louise looking out to sea
How has lockdown affected your work and what are your plans as we begin to come out the other side?
Everyone is united in experiencing lockdown - living within an in-between space, an unusual gap or pause in everyday life, which resonates with the concept of Ma. It’s a critical time for the arts at the moment, and for me this tension within this space has been experienced through ebbs and flows. My studio was closed for April and May but as luck had it I already had a lot of my materials home and was fortunate to have a project to carry on with. I have been collaborating with Kiersten Holden-Ada founder of Fervour jewellery, as part of a residency with Applied Arts Scotland where I was selected to join other Scottish artists/makers in a collaborative project with Canadian makers in Halifax, Nova Scotia. There will be an exhibition in Inverness and Halifax for the project, but this has been put on hold till there is a clearer picture of what’s happening. However it allowed me to stay focused on making work.
Space in between, wood and textiles, 2017 © the artist
I have used this pause as a opportunity to review and rethink my work. Moving forward I have a show to make work for with a looming deadline, so will be focusing on this. I was also delighted to be receive an Artist Award from the Henry Moore Foundation which will support new work I aim to make in the coming months.
Arrangement, wood and natural dyed textiles, Briggait Project and Exhibition Space, Glasgow 2018 © the artist
You can see Louise’s work in an online show with Aberdeen Artist Society, ‘Coming Home’ which runs until the 30th August Coming Home - Aberdeen Artist Society
You can also see her work on her website www.louisebarrington.com
on Instagram: louise_barrington
Twitter: louisebarringt3
Pinterest: Louise Barrington