CONTEMPORARY REMOTE OUTLANDIA 

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Passing by winding roads, rivers and an array of waterfalls on the road. T­­­­he environment was not strange to me, as if there was a connection between Ben Nevis and I. 

A strange connection, familiar but different.

Ben Nevis Mountain is a place to stay away from all the city bustle to become one with nature and be entirely remote, the only thing that concerns me as an artist is to find the great connection between nature and humans.

During my residency I went to see the wishing stone, the stone that sparked the initial idea for me and some other superstitions I found there.

 

History of wishing stone:

‏Ice carves through the valley of Glen Nevis, sculpting the rock, the river and the land. A huge boulder is carried in the ice and rests where the ice melts on the Glen floor. It is said that the Wishing Stone would answer questions asked by elders who consulted it at certain times of the year when it supposedly revolved. 

 

The Silver Spoon

Glen Nevis, haunted by the ghosts of Clan MacSorlie.

 

The Soldier's Seat and the Soldier's Pool

A long clear pool following a bend of the River Nevis in the lower Glen. The Soldier's Pool, is so called due to the rocky outcrop above during the turbulent era of the Jacobite Rebellion.

 

Contrary to what I thought, it was hard to see local people there. As the Ben Nevis name has spread everywhere, easily you could see many tourists from different countries.

Sometimes when I was filming or painting tourists asked me questions and they were very interested in what I was doing.

My main idea was completely changed because I couldn’t easily identify local people living or working there, even with my field research.

Modern society and people live in a modern way.

When I was coming back from Outlandia, I spoke with a group of people. I had ‘Evil Eyes’ in my hands. When they saw Evil Eyes in my hands they were interested, but they didn't know what it was!  I explained to them and said that this sign is a superstition in my culture!

I asked them “do you believe in superstitions?” They said that in their culture there are many common superstitions. 

For example; a black cat is a bad sign; never break a mirror; never go under the ladder; never put your new shoes on the table – these are all signs of misfortune. 

 

I went to ‘Outlandia’ and I painted the Evil Eyes on lots of mirrors.

I installed it in different places in the mountains, forest and ‘Outlandia’.

After a while, I took them with me to the river and I washed them to become clean in the water of the river.

I recorded all the work and made into video art.

Along with poems by Sohrab Sepehri, which has come to the imagination in the form of recitation. 

 

Expression and meaning of the Concept:

Evil, evil thoughts and bad energies in the mountains attracted by Evil Eyes. 

I Picked them up and washed them in the river water.

The river cleans it and washes away all the negative energy in Evil Eyes.

The mirror is a symbol of purity.

The River symbolises life, fertility, freedom and a path.