After the Storm

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 2016 – 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. It explored 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 examined the legacy of this dramatic event with an exhibition that included Hyslop’s drawings and artist’s books alongside unique pieces of 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.

These themes chime with Hyslop’s continuing research interests in flora and the resilience of indigenous species. She focussed her work on Gore Glen, in Midlothian, a naturalised woodland where several trees were taken down by the storm and recovery continues. The works she made 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. 

photo: Tom Nolan - Installation view