Contribution to After the Storm - Part One

Jane Hyslop was invited by Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RGBE) to create and exhibit a body of work to be included in the exhibition After the Storm, Part 1, John Hope Gateway, RBGE 1st December 2016 – 26th May 2017.
After the Storm was a project initiated by RBGE and created in collaboration with the Forestry Commission, the Scottish Furniture Makers’ Association and Edinburgh College of Art to explore the theme of regeneration, recovery and resilience following a storm. The specific storm that inspired the project was Cyclone Andrea which on 3 January 2012 swept across Scotland with winds over 100 miles an hour, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. Five years on the project questioned and explored the legacy of this dramatic ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ event with an exhibition that included Hyslop’s drawings and artist’s books alongside 15 pieces of distinctive furniture made from wood from storm-damaged trees in RBGE and photographs by Dr Patricia MacDonald. The project investigated what happened to the landscape hit by the storm and explored the positive impact of storms in rejuvenating landscapes, and maintaining species and structural diversity within an ecosystem. The diversity of the contributors fostered cross disciplinary discussion and sharing of ideas which were communicated publicly through the exhibition.

The themes explored in this project chime with Hyslop’s continuing research interests in flora and the resilience of indigenous species. She therefore focussed her work on Gore Glen, a naturalised woodland where several trees were taken down by the storm and recovery is now underway. The works made for this exhibition explored this regeneration and developed her research into how drawing and photography within the context of the artist’s book can act as a visual and material vessel to effectively engage with the viewer and foster discovery.