SAD

Walker’s new site-specific installation will reflect the specific architecture of the Old Watch House cells while simultaneously referencing archetypal prison cells and the contemporary image of the ‘tan stand’. UV lighting tubes will be intermittently illuminated for 3-4 minute spells, mimicking the prescribed duration of a sunbed’s light and warmth. Evoking unattainable desire, the installation will also frame UK residents’ Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) (caused by lack of sunlight during the winter months), against mounting Australian concerns over skin cancer caused by over exposure to the UV rays of the sun.

Towering in Gallant Fame

In the second cell, a sandcastle will be built from sand sourced from the St Kilda area of Melbourne. The castle will be based on Kilchurn Castle, located on Loch Awe in Argyll, Scotland which is now a ruin. A dichotomy will be created between the inherent childlike nature of sandcastle building and the final result; a derelist Scottish castle which will continue to crumble throughout the duration of the exhibition. The work will evoke past glory,
empire and the celebration of destruction in both culture and nature.

Both works will examine the borders of physical, social and self-inflicted confines in relation to questions of personal expectation and hope.

Walker graduated from the Sculpture department at The Glasgow School of Art in 2002. Later that same year she relocated to Mexico City where her work has featured in a number of group shows as well as in a solo exhibition in the Garash Galeria in March 2005. Walker returned to Scotland in August 2005 to undertake a two-year postgraduate Master of Fine Art at The Glasgow School of Art.