AIRS
10 Sept – 16 Oct / Main Gallery
Eighteen months after initially planned, An Lanntair is delighted to be hosting both the exhibition and accompanying concert Airs – a special collaboration between Landscape artist Beth Robertson Fiddes and Scottish pianist Mhairi Hall.
A former student of Edinburgh College of Art, Beth Robertson Fiddes is based in Ullapool and continues to draw and paint, travelling around the West Highlands and Islands of Scotland, including St Kilda, to collect source material and sketches which are then worked up into larger pieces in the studio.
For Airs, Beth accompanied Mhairi Hall throughout the development and recording of her Airs album, which presents a special collection of historic Gaelic and Scottish slow airs, beautifully interpreted on the piano
By listening and absorbing Mhairi’s work, Beth drew inspiration as she composed her evocative mixed media paintings, which so vividly complement and visualise the music.
An Lanntair Head of Visual Art & Literature, Roddy Murray, said: “This exhibition was originally scheduled to open in March 2020 just as we entered the first lockdown. So, it’s gratifying that it is now being shown nearly 18 months later! It’s a genuine collaboration: Beth’s paintings of the West Highlands are a ‘pitch-perfect’ response to Mhairi’s music, rooted in the Gaelic tradition. They have nourished each other creatively to produce something singular that belongs to them both.”
Airs was supported by Creative Scotland and was launched at Glasgow’s Celtic Connections in January 2020.
An Lanntair welcomes Airs to its Main Gallery, with Beth Roberston Fiddes’s exhibition opening, which includes a Q&A with both creatives, taking place at 5pm on Friday 10 September; and Mhairi Hall takes to An Lanntair’s stage to perform Airs the same evening at 8pm.