Gill Russell is an artist interested in places of 'significance’ (mythological, geographical, poetic, historical, cosmic, sonic, technological, ancient ) and how they resonate in the landscape. She works across a range of forms and media, including installation, audio-visual, mapping, drawing, poems and texts. Walking is often key to her exploration. 

Recently her work has focused on water and its dynamics with the land. These explorations have been expressed through map-drawings, walking, texts and visual poems. Current work includes participatory and solo 'wandering and noticing' projects Our Living Rivers and Glens and the Covid Walking Project; large-scale drawings for a flood protection scheme in Hawick ( lead artist Andrew Mackenzie), and exhibitions at An Lanntair, Stornoway ( May - July 2021)  and Taigh Chearsabhag (Sept- Oct 2021).

She has worked with poet/artist Alec Finlay on several projects with special areas of interest including poetic interpretation of place names, river systems, ecological mappings, guiding walks. For example 'Gathering', a poetic and photographic mapping of the Braemar region inspired by local placenames and their meanings, commissioned by Hauser & Wirth.

In 2014, she had a residency with Deveron Arts, Huntly on the 'Hielan' Ways' project, identifying sites or landforms of significance and focusing on paths and the watercourses which define the land. From these explorations, she created a blog ' lorg-coise ' and a book of fourteen thematic map-drawings of walking routes with texts.

 Previous projects and exhibitions include Landmarks (2013) in Glenbuchat, Strathdon; Where Long Shadows Fall (2011/2012), outdoor installations and events for UNESCO’s Year of the Forest in Cairngorms National Park ; Artist in residence at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig in Skye (2009/10) and solo exhibition ‘Uamh/Cave’ (2011), an installation about the High Pasture Cave in Skye at the Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh.

 Gill lives in Glenkindie, Strathdon.

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Curricum Vitae,  Gill Russell,  June 2018

Please see website for PDF downloadable CV

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Address:            Waterside, Glenkindie, Alford, Aberdeenshire, AB33 8RH

Contact:              07969 752  617  /  E mail:  gillrussell5@gmail.com

Website:             www.gillrussell.co.uk

Selected Work  ( with links to details)

Please follow the links below for more information

P r o j e c t s / R e s i d e n c i e s   (selected)

2016-ongoing: several projects with artist/poet alec finlay . Special areas of interest include poetic interpretation of place names, river systems, ecological mappings, guiding walks.

*gathering, 2015 ongoing project, cairngorms (commissioned by  hauser & wirth ), collaboration with alec finlay, hanna devereux and others. book to be published July 2018.

* 'mapping the borders' 2017 hawick  (funded by creative scotland, commissioned by the borders heritage festival ,co-ordinated/supported by CABN/including participation in 'mapping the borders' exhibition' / being human festival 2017)
*deveron arts, 2014, residency, aberdeenshire/moray (funded by creative scotland/deveron arts/national lottery)

*landmarks, 2013, residency in strathdon (funded by aberdeenshire council/ creative placemaking project fund)

*where long shadows fall, 2011/12, project commissioned by cairngorms national park (funded by cairngorms national park authority/ cairngorms local action group/ scottish natural heritage/ marr area partnership )

*sabhal mòr ostaig, 2009/10, residency at sabhal mòr ostaig, skye (funded by creative scotland/ sabhal mòr ostaig)    
*highland constellation project, 2007/8, residency,  highland/moidart ( funded by scottish arts council / dark sky scotland)

*cosmicsky exhibition, 2004-7, project, nation-wide   (funded by NESTA) , collaboration with astronomer francisco diego and storyteller brian hill , 6m diam travelling  digital theatre touring four large-scale public venues across the uk reaching over 10,000 people.

links to various other community projects

 I n s t a l l a t i o n s / E x h i b i t i o n s   (selected)

* Waterlines Mar  -May 2018. : solo exhibition at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary supported by Grampian Hospitals Arts Trust    Large scale digital prints (various sizes) of map-drawings, poems and texts

*pulpit, 2013, glenbuchat hall, strathdon (funded by aberdeenshire council/ creative placemaking project fund)

interactive audio installation: audio/pulpit 2m x4m high

*sòrn, 2011/12, cairngorms national park: strathmashie forest, laggan  (funded by cairngorms national park authority/ cairngorms local action group/ scottish natural heritage/ marr area partnership ) light and sound installation: light circle 2m diam/cairn/surround audio: surround audio 20m diam/ six speakers /audio box/batteries/cables /other
*where long shadows fall, 2011/12, strathdon, 2013 (funded by sound festival /aberdeenshire council/

cairngorms national park authority/ scottish natural heritage/ marr area partnership )surround audio installation : 10m diam circle of trees: six speakers /audio box/batteries/cables/ other

*talla an t-sìthein, 2012/13, pine woods, strathdon and belladrum music festival 2013 (funded by belladrum music festival/ SOUND festival 2013/aberdeenshire council)light and sound installation: 2m x 1m ,willow /wood/light/audio
*reach, 2012, an talla solais, ullapool (curated by an talla solais) light and sound installation: light /mixed media/surround sound

*uamh, 2011, rsa edinburgh, solo exhibition ,royal scottish academy, finley room (funded by creative scotland/ sabhal mòr ostaig ) light and sound installation: light pieces/ surround audio /mixed media/

*long wave, 2009/10, with Rody Gorman, SCALE group exhibtion, clandonald woods, armadale, skye (funded by ATLAS arts) sound installation: audio/fibreglass/interpretation board, clan donald, skye
*sòlas, 2007/8, glenuig bay woods, moidart ( funded by scottish arts council / dark sky scotland)

light installation: 6 fibreglass spheres 1m diam/solar powered light/other

P u b l i c a t i o n s

*' th’ fleety wud' nov 2017, book with alec finlay  (funded by creative scotland, commissioned by the borders heritage festival ,co-ordinated/supported by CABN)

*lorg cosie /foot-print , book/blog, (published and funded by  creative scotland/deveron arts, nov 2014)

 * làrach coise, book (funded by huntly cultural fund 2014/5) 

D r a w i n g s / M a p s / W o r d s

*a watery threshhold: mapping the liminal, blog (2017)

*gathering, cairngorms, hauser & wirth (2015 ongoing)

*waterlines, map/drawings focusing on watercourses, 2014 ongoing      
*eagle, after the disappearance of a tagged sea eagle, 2014
*raptor forecast, the inshore raptor forecast for Scotland, 2015

P u b l i c  L e c t u r e s / A r t i s t ' s  T a l k s   (selected)

* june 2018- visiting artist  talk / leading walk at 'murmeration', glenshee with chris watson/jez riley french

* reading of lorg coise at academic symposium    'the dooble tongue': modern poetry and translation

  Jan 2018, Herbert Grierson Centre for Textual Criticism and Comparative Literary History

*talk/leading guided walk  'inhabiting the woods', symposium, marr lodge sept 2017, with alec finlay, jo vergunst and others (funded by  aberdeen university and the national trust for scotland /marr lodge)

* moray school of art degree show opening speech,  june 2017 (funded by moray college of art)

* artists talk at  'perthsire tour; follies and wild gardens', a k bell lecture theatre perth ,oct 2016  with alec finlay, ken cockburn and  others  (funded by perth and kinross council )

* artists talk at 'living the land', huntly, mar  2016 (funded by creative scotland )

 * artists talk,  edinburgh art festival  aug 2014, with tim knowles, alec finlay and others (funded by deveron arts)

* artists talk,  heilan' ways symposium, nov 2014, tomintoul (funded by deveron arts)

* artists talk,  glenbuchat hall, strathdon,  sept 2014

* artists talk,  deveron arts,  june 2014 and sept 2015 artists talks as part of residency

* artists talk, ' nature as home', john muir day 21 april 2013 (funded by deveron arts)

* artists talk, 'northern peripheries' sabhal mor ostaig may 2013 (funded by 'northern peripheries' /northumbria university)

* artists talk,  aberdeen royal infirmary neurosciences christmas lecture, 2013

* artists talk, sabhal mor ostaig, 2009 and 2010, artists talks as part of residency

* artists talk,  an talla solais june, 2012, exhibition talk

* artists talk,  glenuig hall ,  nov 2007 artists talks as part of residency

* moray college of art, visiting lecturer, sept 2011 (funded by moray college of art)

R e v i e w s / I n t e r v i e w s / M e d i a   (selected)

 *uamh:  jan 2011  reviews by duncan macmillan, scotsman/ colin herd, aesthetica magazine/ dave pollock, northings

* sòrn  : jan 2012 review in northings

* sòlas : 2007/8  featured on gaelic tv programme ‘Reul-Chuirt’ broadcast july 2008,  BBC ALBA

* where long shadows fall: 2012, bbc scotland 'out of doors'  programme broadcast twice, sept 2012

* reach : 2012 review in northings by mandy haggith

* drawing -isle-land' with poem text written by alecfinlay/gill russell included in Nov 2017 Island Review

 O t h e r

*guided art walks: marr lodge,  'inhabiting the woods' symposium 2017 (funded by aberdeen university)

*heilan ways symposium 2014 (funded by deveron arts)

 *BA hons fine art (2:1: sculpture/installation) gray’s school of art, aberdeen (1994)

 *member of the scottish artists union since 2007