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11th may 2007

Art exhibition with a difference?

Danish born ceramic artist Lotte Glob is opening a new studio, house gallery and the beginning of the ongoing work in the formation of a sculpture croft. For over thirty years Lotte worked and developed her unique style of ceramic designs in Balnakeil Craft Village, one of the first artists to take up one of the spaces in the disused military base, and has become an internationally renowned ceramic sculptress with her work in collections all over the world. In 1999 she took ownership of a 16 acre croft in Laid, nineteen miles east of Durness, and has been working on her lifetime aspiration to create a landscape of art working with the environment and installing sculptures into a surrounding that depicts the inspiration that has led to their formation. Lotte’s work will be on show in her only one of its kind house and workshop both designed by architect Gokay Deveci. This home has featured widely in national and local press and media, has been televised and won several awards,

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Lotte Glob contemplating the public opening of her house, workshop and sculpture croft at Laid on the shores of Loch Eriboll.

Scottish Design Awards 2004 – Award Best Housing Project under £500,000 :

Scottish Design Awards 2004 Award Northern Exposure

RIAS Best Building in Scotland Award 2004 (Public vote winner & runner up)
The Saltire Society Housing Design Awards (2004) – Design Award

For the duration of the exhibition the house will become a gallery where people will be able to view the ceramics and see Lotte at work. Visitors will be welcome to wander around the croft, down to the shore of Loch Eriboll, where there are sculptures and ceramic installations hidden and fitted into the environment, sculptures that emerge through the long grass, heather and flowers - running across the hill, hiding behind rock and heather or bowing to the sky.  Lotte’s work has an identity with nature, a belonging with nature, whether in a small garden or in a vast landscape or just between plants in a window box. Lotte spends many of her days hiking in the mountains, gathering materials for her work. Her sculptures are a metamorphosis of the raw materials she brings from the hills. She heats them up, to the molten state they would have been before they hardened on earth, and then remoulds them into other-worldly shapes: round, weather-beaten rocks of browns, blues and greens; stones which float or fly, and unknown, yet strangely familiar creatures or plants. They are symbols of nature's enduring ability to change and adapt. Lotte will have some of her sculptures for sale and will able available to discuss commissions should people wish. There is an open invitation to everybody to visit the sculpture croft from 26 May to 26 June and the 28 September to the 28 October between 11am and 5 pm daily.

Community Council and resignation

The Durness Community Council held its AGM this week. With the usual business of secretary and treasures report the current office bearers were renominated and elected back into post. Mary Mackay Chairperson, Iris Mackay Vice chair, Ronnie Lansley Treasurer. Yvonne Mackay is the secretary. The community Council took the opportunity to mark the resignation of Francis Keith as Highland Councilor with a small presentation to thank him for his years of dedicated and committed work. For 33 years Frances has served the ward and maintained continuity between community councils, his constituents and the Highland Council. Frances has been involved in many major developments over the years and traveled between his home in Durness to Inverness and beyond in all weathers and thorough the years to represent the area at official meetings ensuring the fair distribution of resources and maintaining a high profile of the needs for the area. Of all the changes he has been involved in it was the establishment of the golf Course at Durness that has given him his greatest satisfaction.

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Durness Community Council present retired councilor Frances Keith with a small token of appreciation for his service for the last 33 years.