Close: Scotland Through the Photographer’s Eyes
Posted in Exhibitions on October 24 2013, by Matt Newman
Any time I pass through the Ross Gallery these days, there’s a near guarantee that I’ll run into a couple of visitors stopped by their own curiosity, admiring Allan Pollok-Morris’ prints. The images are arranged on either side of the room in a mosaic of landscapes and architecture, depicting a Scottish countryside seldom seen by those living on this side of the Atlantic. Terraced hills and labyrinthine beach tracings mingle with cottage gardens in a stirring together of different styles by myriad artists, all of which you can see on the pages of the exhibition’s inspiration, Close: Landscape Design and Land Art in Scotland, now available in our Shop in the Garden.
The book itself builds bridges across eras, capturing the old and the new in a landscape known for its mercurial weather and geography—as much rain and unforgiving stone as green pasture and sunlight. We caught up with Allan in our Native Plant Garden during his visit to New York City, part of a well-documented national tour of the country’s gardens that has taken him clear across the continental United States. In his many years photographing gardens and landscapes by renowned international artists, he’s come to his own conclusions on what makes for a grabbing landscape experience, and what will likely be most important to garden design in the future.
Close: The Photography of Allan Pollok-Morris—our exhibition based on the book—will remain on display in the Ross Gallery from now through March 16, 2014, giving you ample opportunity to experience the Scottish countryside from a unique perspective. And don’t forget to pick up a copy of Pollok-Morris’ photography collection when you stop to buy yourself some gifts. We’ll have more on the show in the coming weeks, so stay tuned!
