Making Progress

Overnight we realised we could hang the roses made by the Russian visitors on the large wall that formed the backdrop to our clotheslines. The wall provided the perfect opportunity to display the Russians’ gifts very beautifully. It solved the problem of how to display their work as there really was no room to hang them on the clothes lines alongside the Shetlanders’ roses and messages.

Our Original Space

Getting Started at Manege

On Thursday 2nd August we dragged our suitcases through the city streets from our flat to the gallery. After surviving that ordeal we met Alyona, who took us to the space where we would set up our work. Later Larisa, the Curator, arrived. She explained she had a new idea for our installation and showed us an alternative space nearer the entrance which had a huge wall. We were delighted because it was lighter and gave us more room for visitors to circulate around each clothesline and gather round the table to make roses and write messages.

The Manege Central Exhibition Hall

Our Train at Helsinki Train Station

Catching Up

We arrived in St Petersburg at l0 pm on 1st August on the train from Helsinki. We have been very busy getting our work set up for Dialogi in the Manezh Gallery in time for the Press Launch on Friday 3rd August and the opening on the 4th. We couldn’t find a way to get our Internet connection in our apartment until today which is why we have a backlog of photographs to put on this daily weblog.

We launched our project, Domestic Dialogues, on Sunday 27th July during a very enjoyable afternoon at Roxane's studio in Papil, Burra Isle. Visitors made nearly 200 roses and wrote or drew "messages" to attach to each rose. The theme for the day was washing lines, which proved an inspiration. Most visitors rose to the challenge and created a marvelous collection of social history, including very personal anecdotes to satirical drawings.

The photos from Shetland were taken by Freya Inkster, Lowrie Halcrow and Roxane Permar.

Domestic Dialogues, Part 1, Shetland