Da Lay o da Land
Da Lay o Da Land was a project co-ordinated by the Shetland Library as part of Museums Galleries Scotland (MGS), Historic Environment Scotland (HES) and Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC) #COP26Conversations fund.
With Scotland hosting COP26 this fund was to support museums, libraries, and historic environment organisations to engage with the conversations around important climate issues emerging in communities across Scotland.
Christina Inkster called to the community of Shetland and asked for their response to questions regarding climate change:
What does climate change mean to you?
Have you noticed a change in Shetland’s climate?
How does climate change make you feel?
In response to the answers provided by participants, Christina created a body of visual artworks, that were printed with support from Gaada and their Risograph technology.
About the Prints
‘Shetland’s Sacred Kye’ is a visual response to the following participant feedback:
“I think specifically within Shetland there should be a calm and open minded conversation about upland hills and the damage done to them by sheep grazing.
It can take up to 60 years for hills to recover from this kind of continual grazing and we need also to talk about the cutting and burning of peat for domestic use (no point firing shots at the wind farm whilst this continues) and we need to talk about tree planting even in small patches wherever the soil allows enough depth.
At least two of these issues are sacred cows and it is hard to have a calm conversation about them largely because individuals feel threatened by the loss of something they have hitherto taken for granted as their right.”
Sacred Cow is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as: “an idea, custom or institution held to be above criticism (with reference to Hindus’ respect for the cow as a holy animal).”
The bright pink and yellow colours used in this print pay homage to Hinduism and their decoration and celebration of the cow as their holy animal.
‘Oil Money’ is a visual response to the following participant feedback:
“Climate change means watching widespread irreversible damage to Shetland’s natural environment by huge industrial wind farms - climate change has been used as an excuse to justify this destruction of the environment in the pursuit of profit for a few…”
“It (climate change) is the biggest con and is making a lot of money for some people.”
Referencing ‘Yin and Yang’ in the face of the top coin - the Ancient Chinese philosophy concept of dualism - proposing the potential for opposite or contrary forces to be complementary, interconnected and interdependent. (In other words: how do we achieve cleaner greener energy without some destruction? And won't this temporary destruction of construction prove better in the long run than the energy sources we currently have in use?)
The term ‘oil money’ is widely recognised throughout Shetland and the artist has made specific reference to that as use for the title of this work and has done so as a counter proposal to the claim that climate change “has been used as an excuse to justify this destruction of the environment in the pursuit of profit for a few…” with the question: what damage has the oil industry done to our environment (in the pursuit of profit for a few)?
'Eat The World' is a visual response to the following participant’s feedback:
“Concerned that it (climate change) is not taken seriously because consuming is much more important a lifestyle.”
Within the print the artist makes references to:
Our consumerism culture,
Our technological use (whereby huge amounts of data is consumed; data which is supplied from large warehouses specifically designed for storing data, powered by mass amounts of energy),
The semi precious materials we destroy the planet mining for to use in our disposable technologies,
The psychologically manipulative impacts advertising and marketing have on the human mind, specifically designed in order to increase consumption; consumption of products from companies which are destroying our planet as they line their pockets.
'Production/Consumption' is a visual response to the following participant feedback:
“Climate change is caused by humans, we must change the way we live to stop the negative effects of climate change, we need to stop using oil, gas and coal and opt for renewable energy instead. Transport needs to be greener, and we need to consume less, farming needs to be sustainable. Restoring habitat for biodiversity, rewinding some areas of land.”
There are many talks had around the visual element of energy sources within the Shetland Isles and many debates had over how unsightly one is compared to the other.
This image shows the energy sources currently available within Shetland and seeks to demonstrate how complementary/contrasting each are to the environment.
We have options and we have choice over what energy sources/supplies we could and should be using within Shetland.
'Blurring of the Seasons' is a visual response to the following participant feedback:
“Yes. (I have noticed a change in Shetland's climate). I have lived here seventeen years and in that short time I have seen a blurring in the seasons.”
This sentiment was not alone; almost all of the participants commented on how they had noticed a change in Shetland's climate.
'Inhospitable Planet' is a visual response to the following participant feedback:
“It (climate change) is what it is and I accepted it was happening many years ago.
It would eventually happen but we have increased the speed of it by an incredible amount.
It’s upsetting but it’s something that has to be faced. Hopefully we can slow it down.
Unfortunately it’s not only down to the small individuals but would take major change as in what we saw in lockdown. But the big businesses and millionaires don’t make money that way. So it will never happen. The smaller individuals will be made to feel at fault and penalised for what the huge corporations do. It’s frustrating.
Mother Nature will always get her own back.”
Accompanying this response were many others echoing this very sentiment; referencing the floods and the fires experienced worldwide over the past few years:
“The planet is suffering and it is our fault.”
And another, used for the title of this piece:
”…future generations may be left with an inhospitable planet.”
'Before its too Late' is a visual response to the following participant feedback:
“Worried, afraid and deeply sad. If there are things we can do then we ought to be doing them now before it’s too late.”
The artist felt this statement was a much needed call to arms.
These themes of action and urgency were shared by many other participants, as were the opinions that it is not us as the individuals that ought to be acting but rather the large companies, organisations and Governments.
It can feel as if we are powerless, it can feel as if our actions couldn’t possibly have impact - and of course, if we give in to this thought and do nothing then as a result then yes: change won’t result; however the opposite is true: "if there are things we can do then we ought to be doing them now..."(we - plural - meaning: a collection of individuals).
Themes of: re-wilding, biodiversity and planting more trees echoed throughout participants feedback; the green colour of the ink represents these responses, and the use of the lily depicts its symbolic meaning: purity, fertility and rebirth.