Liminal was a participatory event and temporary light installation at The Claesline Gallery, The Smuggins, East Burra, Shetland. I installed 39 lengths of glow-in-the-dark rope along each of three clotheslines. Guests were given an ultra-violet torch on arrival and invited to illuminate the ropes. My favourite moment occurred later in the night after the guests had all left and I was trying to film the installation. The wind kicked up, and as the ropes blew in the wind they blurred and momentarily it felt like the real Mirrie Dancers, the Shetland phrase for the Northern Lights.
The Claesline Gallery is the brainchild of the artist Susan Timmins. For many years, until 2015, I took students from my module Material, Form and Context on the Contemporary Textiles BA Hons Degree course at UHI Shetland. Each student made work in response to her croft, whether to hang on the Claesline or to be sited somewhere on the grounds.
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