Buoy on the loose 4
For a period of three weeks from
2 nd ‐ 24 th of July, the building still known as ‘Mackay’s fish shed’ by Culag Park in Lochinver Harbour (IV27 4JF), is being used to host an exhibition of sculpture made from materials found on the shores of Assynt. Over time, Nigel Goldie has gathered large quantities of the discarded waste from fishing activity, including rope, nets, creels, broken buoys and all manner of other plastic fragments. Also of interest is the varied natural waste arising from the tides, storms and the organic changes occurring to the plant life under the sea. Kelp and other sea weed possesses many qualities that present a creative challenge, not least the way it continues to respond to its environment, in particular moisture in the air. The centre piece of this show is an installation of multiple mobiles made from organic and plastic waste. Open from 2.00pm to 6.00 pm everyday except Monday (free entry).
My work is largely three-dimensional with its conceptual base deriving from the symbolism of the materials used and the transformation arising from the artistic intervention.
I often work with found or discarded objects and materials. The by products of other activities that can show the passage of time through rusting, rotting and general disintegration. Such natural processes are also assisted (in the case of steel) through heating, melting, tearing, hammering, shaping and carving. This work and that of assembly and construction, raises questions as to wider social relationships and meanings embodied in the history of the materials used, and the forms that have been created.
The process of natural transformation such as the rusting and disintegration of steel; or the cracking and breaking of rock; or splitting and rotting of timber (and other matter such as vegetables); provide a material starting point to my work. This leads to an exploration of the objects of human construction and manufacture such as the artefacts of artistic or an industrial, agricultural or related activity. These are interventions have typically exploited both natural and human resources and as such contain within them human history as well as the associated scars of the damage done to the natural world.
The setting and the context for the display of sculpture is an essential element of the work. This cannot always be shown in photographs. Some of the work is site specific or has been an installation created for a particular purpose. For example, ‘behind closed doors’ was created within a few days and destroyed shortly thereafter. Other work such as that using nails, has been assembled in varied ways, as have the ‘dead’ shopping trolleys. Experimentation continues with creating art from waste materials, in particular the transit packaging that is a by-product of supermarket distribution systems.
Working with varied materials with a wide range of tools and methods is an important element of my art. The creation of work that is visually rewarding and challenging is the object of this activity. Hopefully it speaks in some small way to those viewing it.