Julia Zinnbauer : Artist in Residence in Quarantine at MERZ

MERZ Artist in Residence Julia Zinnbauer arrived from Germany to face two week’s quarantine ahead of her residency programme. Julia has been fascinated by Scotland since childhood, and here practices on her chanter on the terrace outside the MERZ Bothy. On July 8th, with quarantine fulfilled Julia will meet the folk (at a social distance) that she’s been corresponding with in the run-up to the Sanquhar Arts Festival. From January this year Julia has been engaged with the local efforts to save the Sanquhar Post Office, the oldest in the world. Her friend Lada Wilson will take a break from running the telephone box Gallery 201, and join Julia for some work locally on the cast-iron ‘red’ Gilbert Scott telephone boxes which made such an impression on Julia (and her father, who bought one for his garden in Germany). While at MERZ will also explore textiles and architecture, possibly the link between the architect Peter Womersley and his studio building near Selkirk designed for the textile designer Bernat Klein, and now sadly derelict.