This summer, the grounds of the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art will be home to a traditional Scottish bothy, designed exclusively as part of the nationwide exhibition GENERATION: 25 years of contemporary art in Scotland.
Created by The Bothy Project - a team comprising of artist Bobby Niven and architect Iain MacLeod - the temporary structure will be the venue for a programme of talks, performances, events and screenings throughout its three-month run, from 31 July to the end of October 2014.
Bobby Niven and Iain MacLeod started The Bothy Project to provide a network of bespoke spaces in distinct and diverse locations around Scotland in which artists can work and live. These small-scale buildings are maintained through sustainable energy and built using sustainable materials. They are simple, modern designs, usually comprising of a single room with a stove, kitchen and work area.
The current Bothy Project network features two permanent dwellings; Inshriach Bothy in the Cairngorms and Sweeney’s Bothy on the Isle of Eigg.
The bothy situated in the grounds of Modern One at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, has been created with the area of Assynt in mind - a remote location tucked away in the far North West corner of Scotland. After its time at Modern One, the bothy will make the journey up to the unique landscape of Assynt to become a permanent feature in the shadow of Suilven and Canisp.
The building will be a traditional timber-framed structure, clad in an opalescent polycarbonate and will measure around 8 by 3 metres. A purpose-built path will make it accessible to visitors.
Glasgow-based artist Laura Aldridge will be producing ceramics and textiles to furnish the internal space, all of which are in keeping with a colour palette inspired by Assynt and some of the local craft skills found there.
Simon Groom, Director of the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, says the project gives visitors the opportunity to enjoy something that otherwise would remain hidden because of the typically remote and isolated locations of the structures.
"Its practical and beautifully handcrafted space provides the perfect setting for a whole host of diverse activities beyond those traditionally associated with a gallery, and we hope it will become a hub of creative activity over its three month lifespan here. The enthusiasm, energy and creative input from The Bothy Project team and Laura Aldridge has made working on the project a truly exciting experience,” says Groom.
Born in 1978 in Frimley, Surrey, Aldridge studied at Wimbledon School of Art, London, and obtained her Master’s degree in Fine Arts at the Glasgow School of Art, which included an academic exchange with CalArts, Los Angeles, in 2005.
Aldridge has also been given the special privilege of naming the bothy, a practice carried out for every structure built to help define a unique identity for each project. Inspired by a pig-like dappled rock found whilst exploring Assynt in preparation for the project, Aldridge has entitled the shelter Pig Rock Bothy.
The opening of the structure will take place on the evening of Thursday 31 July as part of the launch of the Edinburgh Art Festival.