She previously made headlines for “rubbish art” but it did her reputation no harm.
Artist Robyn Woolston has won a unique commission from the Highlanders’ Museum at Fort George near Inverness.
The respected sculptor and installations creator has been appointed its first artist in residence. Her mission is to bring Highlanders’ WWI stories to life through soldiers’ letters, diaries and photographs.
The interactive project will involve local school pupils who will create their own art as part of the process.
Mr Woolston’s 2013 installation in Liverpool featuring several tonnes of discarded binbags raised eyebrows among art lovers in a way reminiscent of the Turner Prize.
But her “Strangers in a strange land” exhibition, created to “reassess the value” of waste materials in a consumer society, only raised her profile.
The Museum has signed her up with help from a grant from Museums Galleries Scotland. The residency will be followed by an exhibition.
Love brought her to the Highlands after meeting Kinloch Laggan-based exhibitions contractor Tony Harris who hails from her home town of Warwick.
Ms Woolston, who has worked closely with youngsters and vulnerable adults, said: “Fort George provides a fascinating and vital opportunity to engage with the heritage, stories and architecture of the museum.
“It’s an extraordinary commission that should illuminate a series of novel responses to the WWI displays and archives alongside engaging the local community on a creative journey of exposition and place-making.”
The museum’s education officer Gill Bird said: “We’re really excited to take on our first artist in residence and are looking forward to seeing the collection in a new way and sharing the stories and ideas with our visitors.”
The facility records 235 years of history.
Featuring the largest regimental collection outside of London, it attracts more than 55,000 visitors per year.
