A new collaborative installation, Occupied Thoughts, Occupied Space, by artists Pearl Kinnear and Celie Byrne, filmmaker Iain ‘Hendo’ Henderson, Palestinian feminist poet Alice S Yousef and sound artist Ruaridh Law has opened at Dunoon Burgh Hall. The site-specific installation responds to occupied Palestine, creating a space of visual and audible fragmented artworks in the Hall’s Main Gallery, and symbolises the highly-relevant topic of information and misinformation – we only see and hear as much as we are permitted.
Seeking to engage with its audience in a unique experience of a maze-like space, the multi-sensory aspect of the installation encourages each visitor actively to participate, guided by the sights and sounds created by the artists in response to the subject matter of occupied Palestine. The installation comprises large printed and stitched semi-opaque hangings, with the fabric obstructing the full view of ceramic mortar shell casings, which house the soundscape, with filmed footage of Palestine, and an urban garden.
Over a year on the drawing-board, the idea took form after Pearl and Celie participated in an international art exhibition in Glasgow, and it was decided to collaborate with other artists in media such as film, sound, and spoken-word. With the venue, and Dunoon’s complex history, well-known to them, the space was felt to be perfect for what they describe as ‘…an ever-expanding transferable piece of collaborative artwork that can also take up residence through the evolving theme of the distortion of information in a variety [of] other locations.’
Working with Solas Festival and Amos Trust, filmmaker Ian ‘Hendo’ Henderson visited Palestine in 2016 in a trip organised by writer and educator Henry Bell, along with Scottish artists, and Scottish musicians Louie and Declan Welsh, visiting a number of places in the West Bank, Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Ramallah, Hebron, Jenin, Ni’lin and the Jordan Valley. This provided them with an opportunity to learn about the Palestinian people’s struggle against occupation and apartheid, to perform music and make creative connections, and the installation features footage from this time there.
