gossip GOES OUTDOORS

Stirling’s GOSSIP artist collective has taken over the grounds of Stirling Smith this summer with series of sculptural installations:

“Over the past year, we have all seen our lives being deconstructed. Routines that were once firmly in place have been scattered as we negotiate lockdown.  Virtual events replaced the sound, presence, and touch of real human contact.

“Gestures that we took for granted have disappeared from our daily interactions. However, many have found comfort in spending more time outdoors, becoming aware of the space around our homes.

“Placing these sculptural works in the Smith’s biodiversity garden, offers a fantastic opportunity to explore our relationship with the outside world. It’s a place to think about what has been taken apart and how we put things back together again. 

“Through interventions with pre-existing objects, environments, or materials, eight artists have created artworks turning their surrounding ‘negative space’ into positive visual expression.

“De / Construct is an exhibition birthed out of this unusual time: it is a response to change and explores what holds us together through our relationship with nature.  While lockdown has produced many fragmented thoughts, this peaceful garden allows them to reconnect once again.”

GOSSIP aims to engage locally with the public by helping to facilitate opportunities for contemporary artists in Stirlingshire and beyond. With nearly 100 members, many emerging from Forth Valley College, GOSSIP regularly respond to open calls around particular cultural or connecting themes.

De Construct runs at Stirling Smith until 22nd August. Exhibiting artists include Tracy Dougall, Chelsie Dysart, Ken Elliott, Alice Martin, Valerie Martin, Lesley McDermott, Audrey McMenemy and Ann Shaw. (The museum is still observing limited hours of Thursday to Sunday, 11am - 4pm.)