S TAT E M E N T Any ground subtracts its own hue from the colors which it carries and therefore influences. Josef Albers The colours which naturally occur within my environment on the East Coast of Scotland are the stimulation for this p r o j e c t w h i c h e v o l v e d i n t o t h e ‘A c t o f Moving’ Chain. As colour theorist Joseph Albers states, the landscape takes its distinctive hues from its surroundings and reflects them- like the way the sea mirrors t h e s k y ’s t o n e . T h e s h a d e s w h i c h c o m p e l l e d me in nature- the stormy grey to navy blue gradient in the North Sea before a storm, a or ripe deep red of Summer raspberrieswere so inherent, they felt almost ‘inimitable’. My goal was to find a way to attain these unique hues and imbibe my w o r k w i t h t h e m - I f e l t t h a t t h e o n l y o rganic way to do this was to begin with the c o l o u r f u l p r o d u c t s o f n a t u r e i t s e l f. A series of dye experiments using foodstuffs- raspberries, blueberries, beetroot, black beans and turmeric among others, achieved rich, var ying tones of the hues of the landscape they came from.
CLARE ROBB A maker of place inspired objects and jewellery
An unpredictable process, the specific timings and methods resulting in different shades, ref l e c t s t h e e v e r- e v o l v i n g g r a d i e n t of nature. T h e ‘A c t o f M o v i n g ’ C h a i n i s a 520mm long chain threaded from found animal bones which have been dyed using blueberries and local blackberries. Working with bone is especially significant; as it is a material that is consistently overlooked in contemporary design, despite its popularity in past historical periods and different cultures. Bone is a sustainable resource connected to human, animal, and land. Working with this material provokes questions relating to the body of the maker and invites the viewer to explore these connections too. The bones were soaked in the mixture for var ying lengths of time- culminating with t h e d a r k e r, m o r e s t e e p e d b o n e s , to create a colour gradient which reflects a photograph of the dreich North Sea and rockpools. A c a s t p l a n t i s p l a c e d a t t h e c h a i n ’s center as a visual symbol to embody the connection to the environment, upon which this project was built.