The language landscape is rapidly changing. In my work, I am exploring globally endangered languages and specifically Scottish Gaelic. Language helps define who are. When we lose a language, the loss is visceral. When a language dies, we lose the associated cultures, ideas, opinions, stories and songs. In essence we lose what makes societies unique. In most indigenous societies people and language are strongly linked to the landscape they inhabit. Gaelic offers a rich visual poetry of words to describe landform, water and colour. It offers subtle nuances that are lost in standard English. Scottish Gaelic has over 100 words for hill or mountain and 73 to describe waves. With the loss of such a language we lose the intimate connection to the land.
My installation consists of a 50mt printed ‘scroll’ of over 2500 languages on the UNESCO ‘at risk’ register, which are on-course to become extinct by the turn of the century. The piece has been hand-printed on muslin, taking 100s of hours to complete. The delicacy of the piece along with its volume emphasises the fragility of languages. Accompanying this is a soundscape in Scottish Gaelic to localise the issue.
The main body of this work is a three-dimensional, sculptural drawing. The ‘scroll’ defines its space and form. Tension and gravity transform the two-dimensional text into a three-dimensional sculpture. The distorted waves in the fabric emulate the rhythm of human communication and the hill forms of the landscape.
The ‘scroll’ at the centre of this exhibition can be relocated Internationally. The artwork and soundscape will change to reflect local languages.
Of the 7000 languages used worldwide it is estimated that half are at risk.
