Linda Kosciewicz : Souvenir

    Linda Kosciewicz was artist in residence at MERZ for a couple of weeks in June. Linda explored several stories associated with the Napoleonic soldiers imprisoned in Sanquhar between 1812-1814. The soldiers were immortalised in the ‘Sodgers Pool’ on Crawick Water. Here the soldiers spent time and courted local women. Recently overlooked the soldiers had inscribed... Read More

    Rhona Jack and Calum Wallis : Working under Lockdown 2020

    Rhona Jack and Calum Wallis arrived for their MERZ residency in March 2020. Overtaken by the limits imposed by Covid the planned exhibition of kinetic sculptures were initially represented on several short films. Here their film of ‘An Isolated Process’ is intercut with Rhona and Calum‘s discussion about working in Sanquhar around industrial themes and... Read More

    Calum Wallis & Rhona Jack : An Isolated Process

    Rhona Jack and Calum Wallis were artists in residence at MERZ from March through to May 2020. Their tactile hand and wind powered devices could not provide the playful exhibition they had hoped. Drawings of their machines featured in an outdoor exhibition – Inside : Outside – on the street facing side of MERZ. Calum... Read More

    Michele Marcoux : Abandoned Cottage Diary

    In April 2021 Michele Marcoux undertook a month-long artist’s residency at MERZ Gallery in Sanquhar for the research and development of new work and the opportunity to build relationships with the artists and community at MERZ. While there she developed creative ideas to re-centre her practice working on small observational paintings and drawings to develop... Read More

    CARDBOARD CONVERSATIONS

    CARDBOARD CONVERSATIONS was a lockdown project at MERZ involving local and international artists, primary school, college and university students. The project was coordinated ‘remotely’ by Lydia Brockless and Millie Laing-Tate of the Royal College of Art. Due to lockdown restrictions on gallery visits the exhibition served as the ‘stage-set’ for work to be assembled and... Read More

    Olivia Irvine : MERZ Diary #3

    Olivia Irvine writes:  ‘I put together the charcoal drawings from around the bothy, the river Euchan and some older drawings to make two large collages. I had worked out beforehand where things would go, but made some changes as I went along. The idea of collaging time is interesting. Although I am not from the... Read More

    Olivia Irvine : MERZ Diary #2

    Olivia Irvine is the MERZ Artist in Residence for March 2021: ‘After my first week of drawing down by the River Euchan and around the MERZ Bothy, I started thinking of ways to combine the drawings. I went back to the locations to gather more material, in particular, darker drawings and close-ups. I tried mixing... Read More

    Olivia Irvine : MERZ residency diary #1

    “After a brief visit to MERZ around Hallowe’en I thought this is definitely the place for me – because of the amazing location within a friendly town offering direct access to the countryside and because of the connection with Kurt Schwitters and Hannah Hoch. Not least because the accommodation and work-spaces are self-contained, MERZ offers... Read More

    KAZUKO KIZAWA : EXHIBITION

    Kazuko‘s exhibition at MERZ went ahead between the 26th and 28th December. Unfortunately the inclusion of Sanquhar in Level 4 from the 26th prevented Kazuko from receiving visitors. This short film provides a record of Kazuko‘s exhibition while in residency at MERZ from November through to early January.

    Susannah Horton : Two Day Residency at MERZ

    Landscape architecture student Susannah Horton stayed at MERZ for a couple of days in December. Susannah explored Charles Jencks’ Multiverse. “Multiverse is fascinating. Even in poor weather, it’s fun to explore, and the windiness only added drama!” Our short film clip samples several events at the Crawick Multiverse as it evolved from 2015. Film credits... Read More

    Kazuko Kizawa : SPECTRUM-Sound-Light

    Kazuko Kizawa has been artist in residence at MERZ since mid November. Kazuko is planning to install some Video Installation Works at MERZ at then end of December. Kazuko has been on a Journey since the end of August. Her journey started in Helsinki, Finland, before coming to Sanquhar and then travelling to Ireland early... Read More

    Jeff Zimmer : Glass Artist

    From our former site, www.craftscotland.tv, artist-maker Jeff Zimmer uses traditional glass painting techniques on layers of glass to create enigmatic three-dimensional scenes. Jeff was showing his work at SOFA Chicago with Craft Scotland in November 2014 and the film will be shown over the next year following Glass Lives Week at North Lands Creative in... Read More

    Choi Keeryong : Glass Artist

    From our former site site, www.craftscotland.tv, artist-maker Choi Keeryong creates pieces of blown glass decorated using an ‘inlaid colouring’ technique combined with locally manufactured porcelain sourced from local car-boot sales. Choi was showing his work at SOFA Chicago with Craft Scotland in November 2014 and is now featured in Glass Lives Week at North Lands... Read More

    Kurt Schwitters & Hannah Höch

    Led by Helen Fox of Fox & Hounds Theatre Company local artists, designers and makers are working towards producing a short play imagining an exchange between Hannah Höch and Kurt Schwitters in the mid-1940s. Costume designer Tatiana Medina provided a design for the Hannah Höch costume which is currently being taken forward by Denise Zygadlo... Read More

    Further Pottery News from MERZ

    Across four locations artists are seeking to find ways to make the clay from the Sanquhar clay-fields more malleable. There are several recommended additions to add to make clay it easier to work. As yet small quantities of epsom salts, bentonite and vinegar have not made much difference to the clay’s plasticity. In the last... Read More