Ullapool art project comes home from Holyrood

After recently exhibiting at Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh, a Highland 2007 community art exhibition inspired by the spectacular land and water in around Ullapool is now looking for a home (or homes) in its inspirational place of origin.
 
Macphail Centre Coordinators Fran Harrison and Chris Brotherston, who commissioned the project, were delighted when John Farquhar Munro, MSP for Ross, Skye & Inverness West, agreed to sponsor “Passing Places/Aite Seachnaidh” to show at the MSPs’ Lobby at Holyrood in November.  Mr Munro described the exhibition as “first class” and was one of the first visitors to see and admire it.

James Mackenzie, Head of Communications for the Scottish Green MSPs, decribed Passing Places/Aite Seachnaidh  as “one of the most beautiful” exhibitions he’d seen at Holyrood.

Fran Harrison Macphail Centre Coordinator said: “It was very exciting to take Passing Places to the Scottish Parliament. Although there wasn’t space for the entire exhibition we scanned all the images to display as a slide show and they looked great.”

Coordinator Chris Brotherston added: “This exhibition has helped to put Ullapool and Coigach firmly on the map. We can’t thank artist Eleanor White and all the participants enough for the wonderful work they put into Passing Places.”

Passing Places/Aite Seachnaidh holds a double meaning. It’s where motorists pull in on single track roads to let other cars past, but it’s also about how people ‘pass places’ without stopping to look and listen to the landscape.

The Macphail Centre is now looking for permanent places for the 100 diamond shaped images from the project.  Artist Eleanor White said: “I hope that the images can be displayed at the places which inspired them, and we’re working towards that for 2009.”

Passing Places/Aite Seachnaidh was funded by Highland 2007, The Highland Council Community Learning & Leisure Services, LEADER+, Scottish Natural Heritage and Ullapool Tourism & Business Association.