Martin Laird’s exhibition, ‘An Encyclopaedia of Great British Collage (Or How I Learnt To Stop Worrying And Love The Monarchy)’ is on show at the Northlight Gallery in Stromness until Tuesday the 8th of October. Opening hours from 10am to 5pm daily.
The collages featured in this exhibition are constructed from antique journals, encyclopaedias and Royal souvenir memorabilia – primarily material concerning the 1897 Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria, 1935 Silver Jubilee of King George V, 1936 abdication of Edward VIII, and the 1936 coronation of George VI.
This work represents countless hours spent poring over thousands of fragile pages looking for meaningful connections, and dozens of dulled scalpel blades. Through the alchemy of collage, the institutions of the British establishment and its colonial heritage have been deconstructed and transmuted into other forms. The themes include music, myth, symbolism and satire.
Martin Laird is an artist from Kirkwall, the son of the late Keith Laird, also an artist and head of Art at Kirkwall Grammar School until his death in 2003. Martin studied drawing and painting at Gray’s School of Art and later obtained a degree in architecture from the Scott Sutherland School (RGU). He continues to work in both traditional and digital media, including film and animation.
