Earlier on in the year I submitted my sign sculpture work for the 5th Syn Festival, Edinburgh and the exhibition ‘Odysseys’. This would be a group exhibition that would be held for 2 weeks in March. I was obviously thrilled to be selected to take part in the show. The opening night was last Friday 9th of March 2018. It was a case of un-installing my work at Stirling University on the Sunday and then going over to Edinburgh on the Thursday to drop off 4 sign sculptures. I took 7 sign sculptures over, however it had been agreed with the curator to show 4 of them and t was an interesting process of choosing the 4. In fact it was totally random, So the signs that were in the show were not chosen by me and it made it all the more interesting.
It was also fascinating to have seen the process of creating this work and the development process. From simple sketches to prototypes, from outdoor installations to pieces in an indoor gallery show. It is also good to be shown alongside other emerging artists. There is a lot of very interesting work in the show. One person I enjoyed very much talking to young artists James Fallan (Dundee College of Art), Indigo Branscombe (Wimbeldon College of Art alumni), Natalie Wearden (Wimbeldon College of Art alumni) and Edinburgh based artist Rachel Bibby (Edinburgh College of Art alumni).
The show was very professionally organised and it was good to make contact with the curator, Maro Pyssra. I am now a big fan of this festival and this year’s theme was the obvious attraction for me to become involved as my work is strongly related to this. Perhaps next year I may also submit work, who knows!
Rather than trying to paraphrase, here is the press release, which describes the theme of the show:
The Syn Festival Edinburgh presents the exhibition “Odysseys” at the Upper Church at Summerhall, from the 9th to the 22nd of March 2018. The exhibition comprises works by emerging artists who live and work in Scotland and constitutes one of the dozens of events that will debut at this year’s festival, which aims to promote multiculturalism and diversity.
Taking as a starting point the turbulent era of Brexit and international migration, the participating artists present their own reflections on the contemporary sociopolitical context. As the title reveals, on a conceptual level the exhibition embarks from the idea of the Odyssey and the journey of the mythical hero, inviting the creators to renegotiate the concepts of homeland, enemies and the “other”.
Including a wide spectrum of artworks, from installations to video art, the “Odysseys” touch upon issues of identity and alterity, simultaneously offering multiple readings to the spectators, who are confronted with different cultural “journeys” and personal stories.Artists: Rachael Bibby, Mary Blindflowers, Indigo Branscombe and Natalie Wearden,
Emanuele Centi, Michael Dawson, James Fallan, Agelos Papadakis & Elvina Gountouna, Sin Park, Despina Petridou, Peter Rossiter, Alan Rutherford, Marissa Stoffer, Rhona Taylor, Christopher Philip Ward, Jamie Watt and Matthew Wilson.Visual Arts Team: Lead Curator, Festival Coordinator: Maro Psyrra | Assistant Curator: Davide Boschi | Short Films Coordinator: Chrysa Karagianni | Communication and Marketing: Glyka Penna & Maru Riaza.
The show ran from 9th March to 22nd March 2018. The exhibition organisers took some very good pictures of the opening night, but the ones here are my own:
