CAILLEACH//CABRACH
Silk-screen printed cotton sheeting.
The Cabrach’s community developed as a result of illicit whisky distilling, and residents would allegedly hang a white sheet in their window to warn their neighbours of approaching excisemen.
Seen as both a creator and destroyer of nature, Celtic mythology describes the Cailleach protecting animals and wild spaces against humans, keeping a balance between populations. In many stories, the Cailleach transforms to stone at the signs of spring.
The text printed on the cotton sheeting connects the site-specific history of the Cabrach with the mythology surrounding the Cailleach to explore how communities communicate risks of harm and healing to one another, and the potential for ecological learning within Scottish mythology.
Exhibited alongside Hares on the Mountain at Scottish Landscapes: A New Generation, Dovecot Studios, Edinburgh, 2023.
