Birch trees of Ravenscraig – work on display in the Ravenscraig section of A Fragile Correspondence. Photo by Daniele Sambo.
After an Open Call asking artists and writers for a creative promotional response to the themes of A Fragile Correspondence, Harvey Dimond was commissioned to write the below creative response. This three-part text considers how colonialism has shaped the natural ecologies of Scotland, South Africa and Barbados, and considers their historic and contemporary resonances from a diasporic perspective. Read more
A close-up of the work by Raghnaid Sandilands in the Loch Ness section of A Fragile Correspondence. Photo by Alyesha Choudhury.
After an Open Call asking artists and writers for a creative promotional response to the themes of A Fragile Correspondence, Harper Walton was commissioned to write the below poem, which explores the geographically distinct areas of Highland, Island and Lowland as queer spaces through a transgender and non-binary lens. Read more
Photo credit: Robb Mcrae.
The Scotland + Venice | Found in Translation: Architecture, Land, Landscape, Language event on 14 October brought together presentations from the Austrian Pavilion, Orizzontale (from Rome, exhibiting within the Arsenale), Dualchas, A Fragile Correspondence, the Lithuanian Pavilion and Scottish author Cal Flyn. Read more
A Fragile Correspondence, work on display in the Orkney Section. Photo: Daniele Sambo
The frequency of an island sounds different from that of the mainland; and in conversation with the rhythms of the sky and sea, Orcadians live in conjunction with the water that they are surrounded by and in response to its temperament - floods, rain, and storms. Read more
Model (detail) of a potential future for Ravenscraig site. Photo by Daniele Sambo.
In response to A Fragile Correspondence, journalist Diyora Shadijanova visits the site of Ravenscraig and considers its past, present and potential future. Wikipedia describes Ravenscraig as a "village" and a "new town", but when I travel there one sunny afternoon, it's all roads and roundabouts breaking vast areas of greenery fenced off for future construction. Read more
A Fragile Correspondence, display in Loch Ness section. Photo: Daniele Sambo
In response to A Fragile Correspondence, Eilidh Akilade explores land ownership - imagined, formal, and otherwise. Centring around the Isle of Lewis, the piece looks to the island’s history, familial encounters with the natural landscape, and the Gaelic language. Read more
Maxwell Wilson formed part of the Professional Development Programme, during the summer. From Lhanbryde, Moray, he was a Stage 6 student at the Scott Sutherland School of Architecture in Aberdeen, graduating in July. Read more
A Fragile Correspondence – Work on display in Loch Ness section – photo by Daniele Sambo
LET’S START with a word: opportunity. Scotland’s chance to participate in the Venice Architecture Biennale, the biggest and most prestigious festival of architecture in the world. In the canal-side venue used by the Scotland + Venice Partnership since 2019, close to the Biennale’s main spaces, the show is ideally placed to catch visitors from all over the world. Read more
Read an extract from Invest in Love: Decolonial, Feminist, and Queer Curatorial Approaches in deep dive (pause) uncoiling memory, a dissertation submitted for the Degree of MLitt Museum and Gallery Studies at the University of St Andrews by Kate M. Read more
Left: Dr Leora Farber (left), Associate Professor in the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture, University of Johannesburg, South Africa, with Alberta Whittle (right) in Venice. Right: Shalom Mushwana, 2022 Professional Development Programme participant from the University of Johannesburg
The Visual Identities in Art and Design Research Centre (VIAD) is housed within the University of Johannesburg’s (UJ) Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture (FADA). VIAD supports an international community of Visiting Professors, Research Associates, Affiliated Researchers and Postdoctoral Fellows, whose diverse research projects promote critical thinking (and feeling) around two core thematic currents in relation to visual practice, representation and culture, art and design practices: Africa and African diasporic histories, identities, and creative human practices. Read more
