COLLECTIVE MEMORIES

This collection of work was commissioned by the Cornhill MacMillan Centre in Perth. Eleven boxed assemblages were made to reflect the environment and the history of Perth. There has been a settlement at Perth since prehistoric times. Discoveries in and around Perth show that it was occupied by the Mesolithic hunter - gatherers who arrived in the area more than 8,000 years ago. Neolithic standing stones and stone circles surround the area. A remarkably well preserved bronze age long boat dated to around 1000 BC was found in the mudflats of the River Tay.

The river itself has played host to a multitude of industries from wool to linen, leather and metalwork. Within the medieval town there were butchers, bakers and blacksmiths, goldsmiths and silversmiths and craftsmen who worked with pewter. Later there were armourers, gunsmiths, weavers and fullers, skinners and tanners and horner's making spoons and combs from the horns of cows and goats. The Tay also provided salmon fishing and netting being tidal and therefore salty to Perth.

Many Perthshire farmers were forced to leave during the clearances when rents were raised and land seized giving families no option but to emigrate. It is a fitting tribute to the town and the people of Perth that the name was carried to Western Australia at the other side of the world.

Inspired by these past dwellers and reflecting on Perth's rich and varied history this series of assemblages includes self-made 'relics' which are juxtaposed with nature's own discarded remains found along the river walk. Through the examination of the past and the crafting of new archaeological elements the hope was to create 'meaningful' objects imbued with collective memories, pointers to diverse histories and a common ground in which our shared humanity resides.