I’m Beth Primrose, a student who has just graduated from Contemporary Art Practice at Edinburgh College. I’ve been lucky enough to come to Venice as an Exhibition Associate as part of the Scotland + Venice Personal Development Programme. I’m working on developing a social practice and love experimenting with different materials and approaches. As someone interested in other people’s voices and highlighting the collective narrative it was such a pleasure to host a small writing workshop at the Scotland + Venice pavilion as part of my Creative Project.

The depth and multi layered nature of Bugarin + Castle’s Shame Parade made it perfect to explore through writing. The universal themes of the exhibition meant that we could investigate through a collective and personal lens.

Other Exhibition Associates from pavilions across the Biennale joined me at the workshop. We had a real breadth of experience in the group, but it was so lovely to see everyone’s unique voices flourish throughout the evening.

Utilising essays and interviews around shame and Bugarin + Castle’s work, Shame Parade, the group created stunning black out poetry. A form developed by Dada artists like Tristan Tzara in the 1920s, writers use found text, highlighting words and phrases that they relate to and erasing the rest of the text with ink. The form was also pertinent to visibility and censorship of the self so fitted well with the work. Discussion, virtual cut-ups, personal and sensory poetry was such a beautiful way to activate and explore the exhibition in more depth.

It was a lovely surprise to see how varied the work that people created was and the personal perspectives that people put on their own pieces. The vulnerability and openness that everyone brought to their writing was really overwhelming. In reading, rewriting and reclaiming these texts, ideas and emotions the group have created their own beautiful artworks which they generously contributed towards a collection. With this collection I hope to create an artist’s book which both visually and thematically reflect and expand on the ideas from the exhibition.

Beth Primrose is a multimedia artist who has recently graduated from studying Contemporary Art Practice at Edinburgh College. I had the best time on the course exploring ideas and mediums but mostly working with other people. I’m interested in developing a social practice- working with others to explore how art in community and liminal spaces can showcase alternative voices. Being here in Venice has given me time and space to consider what I’d like to do going forward and I’m excited to start working on a self-led residency when I get back to Edinburgh.