For the final final response to the Ice house I have chosen to curate works by two artists, Chilean video artist Yael Rosenblut and Scottish artist Anne Brodie. Working primarily in digital, lens based media, this intensive one month residency has derived two swift pulls of focal length from both.
Anne’s previous life as a salmon farm worker on the West coast of Scotland has drawn her informed and intimately observed images and sounds from the little known quarters of Helmsdale’s smoke house. The skills of Alexander and Sandy Cowie that are captured in her work belie the fishing heritage which once thrived in the area and whose legacy is continued through lone, workshop.
Contrastingly, Yael on her first visit to Scotland has chosen to engage with one of the most iconic strands of Scotland’s traditional imagery, the Highland Dancer. Working with Helmsdale’s newest generation of dancers ranging in age from 4 – 16yrs old, she has sought to create a collective portrait of youth in the morbidly fascinating setting of the Bridge Hotel's animal adorned Drawing Room.
Yael had her first taste of Highland Dancing at Art Ceilidh 2 on the 3rd of June, an evening designed to introduce the community and artists to one another through presentations, dancing and story telling.
