Sophie Horton.
Cordon at Cove Park, 2004.
Locally sourced lambswool, Shetland wool and acrylic wool and lurex.
400m long. Residency: Cove Park. Scottish Arts Council.
Cove Park “On Site”.
Sophie Horton has produced a number of works such as C1 and Live wire (these) are on a relatively small discreet scale :the viewer is intended to come across these pieces as they walk through the 50 acre site. One work, however is particularly prominent and takes the form of an apparently endless red ribbon located in the landscape. Constructed in Scottish lambswool, acrylic and lurex, on a manual knitting machine, this work has been sewn onto fencing and thus follows the contours of the site. The materials Horton uses, and the process of knitting itself are ones that are rationally linked to a domestic or crafts context as opposed to the development of a large scale installation in the landscape. Furthermore, red is typically associated with danger or violence and in this work Horton explores the consequences of introducing an alien element into the landscape. This effect is heightened as the artist has chosen to work directly onto metal fencing, an element which is prevalent in the local area due to the presence of the MOD on the Rosneath Peninsula. Ultimately, and in juxtaposition to the fencing itself, Horton’s intervention forms a strangely benign boundary: as you move closer to the work, the subtlety achieved through the combination of the different materials and shades of red with blue, green, gold and silver, reveals this to be a particularly intricate and thoughtful work.”
Alexia Holt, Director, Cove Park.
Photo Credit: Ruth Clarke.
Locally sourced lambswool, Shetland wool and acrylic wool and lurex.
400m long. Residency: Cove Park. Scottish Arts Council.
Cove Park “On Site”.
Sophie Horton has produced a number of works such as C1 and Live wire (these) are on a relatively small discreet scale :the viewer is intended to come across these pieces as they walk through the 50 acre site. One work, however is particularly prominent and takes the form of an apparently endless red ribbon located in the landscape. Constructed in Scottish lambswool, acrylic and lurex, on a manual knitting machine, this work has been sewn onto fencing and thus follows the contours of the site. The materials Horton uses, and the process of knitting itself are ones that are rationally linked to a domestic or crafts context as opposed to the development of a large scale installation in the landscape. Furthermore, red is typically associated with danger or violence and in this work Horton explores the consequences of introducing an alien element into the landscape. This effect is heightened as the artist has chosen to work directly onto metal fencing, an element which is prevalent in the local area due to the presence of the MOD on the Rosneath Peninsula. Ultimately, and in juxtaposition to the fencing itself, Horton’s intervention forms a strangely benign boundary: as you move closer to the work, the subtlety achieved through the combination of the different materials and shades of red with blue, green, gold and silver, reveals this to be a particularly intricate and thoughtful work.”
Alexia Holt, Director, Cove Park.
Photo Credit: Ruth Clarke.