Edinburgh, Scotland

I am actively interested in the practice, theory and curatorial aspects of contemporary photography. My work is research-led, focussing on re-imagining narratives from the past to further understand the present, as well as questioning notions of identity, nationality and the presumption of photographic veracity.

A Pictish Tale (2014-ongoing)

The Picts remain a mysterious culture, with scholars unable to agree on many elemental facts ranging from their cultural origins to which language was spoken. The most recent mention of the Picts is circa 900 AD when the union between Scots, who originated from the west coast and Ireland, was established and Rìoghachd na h-Alba (the Kingdom of Scotland) came into being. I am intrigued by the disappearance of this culture and for A Pictish Tale I have journeyed on foot to remote parts of eastern and northern Scotland, from Aberdeenshire up through Sutherland and on to Orkney. I have searched for ancient artefacts as well as for traces in the landscape that correspond with the suggestion that Pictish society used matrilineal succession, unlike those living around them. To deliver a narrative of my own, I have portrayed the types of animals carved into their elaborate symbol stones alongside the Picts as I see them embodied in my imagination.