Pictures on an island
A photographer whose work I recently discovered is that of Giulietta Verdon-Roe whose latest project attracted my attention as it reminded me of The Hebrideans by Gus Wylie, one of my tutors at University. Giulietta has been documenting the inhabitants of North Ronaldsay, the northernmost island of Orkney, Scotland and is currently there holding an exhibition of the work entitled As You Are.
What's fascinating about this is the fact that though the exhibition has been seen elsewhere, this time the only audience is the same small community that is depicted in the photographs.
Giulietta said:
"I originally began to research the Shetland Islands and then when I was about to set my dates to go, I was told about the furthest northern island of Orkney, North Ronaldsay, with its population of just over 60 and 13-mile dry-stone dyke, this was something that seemed impossibly romantic to me."
Although Giulietta had made contact with a couple of people on the island before setting off it was only on arrival that she began to realise the task she had set herself.
Giulietta said:
"Having flown in on the small eight-seater plane I was picked up by the lady who runs the bird observatory and shown the field where I could camp. I pitched my tent as the light was dropping, the wind getting up and the rain starting, I wondered what on earth I was doing.
Ìý
"But I managed to borrow a bike with a basket for my camera gear and strapped my tripod to the back and began to cycle around and begin to understand the layout of North Ronaldsay.
Ìý
"It took ten days of explaining myself before I took my first portrait. I was only booked to be there for two weeks, so although I knew this was meant to be the first trip of many, I began to worry that in reality I wasn't going to come back with anything of any substance at all.
Ìý
"Halfway through the weather was so bad that everything soaking wet, the trip was not going to plan. However, with persistence and countless cups of tea in a great deal of homes I began to shoot more portraits and hear the islanders' stories."
This time around though, the weather meant that the tent was soon replaced by a chance to stay in a converted attic space of one of the houses on the island, Giulietta was now part of the island.
Five months on and Giulietta is back again, this time to display the pictures in an exhibition held at the Old Manse. When I asked Giulietta how the opening night had gone, she said:
"The opening itself was a great success, almost the whole island came, it lasted from 2pm until 11pm with food and drink aplenty, some individuals even began to form a little group to play cards. It was lovely to see so many of the islanders in one place.
Ìý
"I think realistically there has been a mixed reaction, some only came to the opening because it was in a house which has been shut for almost 30 years and this was the first time it had been opened, so the exhibition itself was secondary. I think others are appreciative of the efforts to bring it up here and to be able to see what was taken and feel it's an appropriate representation of the islanders and its land. The comments in the guest book were very positive, but in all it's really difficult to know what is really felt.
Ìý
"Currently two new families have moved into the two newly built council houses and there are now four children in the school again. The communities' outlook is currently positive and time will tell what will happen next, but they still need younger families to move to the island."
For Giulietta it's time to think about her next project, but for now she has more pressing matters to deal with as the house housing the exhibition is damp and the fibre prints are breaking away from the mounts and warping.
Here's a small selection of the pictures on show and .
I'm 
Comments
or to comment.