Mark Sinclair - Art on Site

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The Lighthouse, Scotland’s National Architecture and Design Centre, has unveiled an exhibition of photographs by Mark Sinclair, capturing the construction of the new Shetland Museum and Archives. The series of large-scale, evocative, black and white images - shown in the Long Gallery - capture moments in time as reconstruction developed from 2005 to its completion in 2007. Mark Sinclair: Art on Site runs at The Lighthouse until 26 October 2008.

In 2005, Shetland-based photographer Mark Sinclair embarked on an ‘Art on Site’ public art project funded by Shetland Amenity Trust to document the restoration of Hay’s Dock, (led by Nicolas Groves Raines), and the construction of the Shetland Museum and Archives, (designed by architects BDP), on an adjacent site.  Sinclair’s photographs record the construction process of this dynamic new building right up to and immediately following its opening in Summer 2007. This exhibition presents a selection of the 500+ black and white images taken over the two years that the work was in progress.

Hay’s Dock

At the peak of the Herring boom in 1905, Hay’s Dock in Lerwick was one of the busiest fishing ports in Britain. After the First World War, however, the dock went into a period of long decline, and was used primarily as a small boat harbour with the main cargo industry being located elsewhere in Lerwick Harbour.

In the late 1990’s Shetland Amenity Trust bought Hay’s Dock with the view to re-locating the Shetland Museum and Archives to the site.  With its rich history providing a tangible link to the islands’ maritime heritage of fishing, whaling, boat building and repairing and trading, the dock was the perfect site for a brand new archive and exhibition facility, housing over 3000 artefacts illustrating Shetland life, its industry, history, environment and culture.

For further information about Mark Sinclair and the Art on Site project visit: www.artonsite.phatsheep.co.uk
For further information on the Shetland Amenity Trust visit:  www.shetland-heritage.co.uk/amenitytrust

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