Islandness, Vivian Ross-Smith and Jane Walker

Islandness is a project by artists Vivian Ross-Smith and Jane Walker — a living experiment and open platform spanning across the Atlantic, from Newfoundland to Shetland. It aims to bring people and place together, forging new bonds among individuals, artists and communities beyond the framework of a single artwork or contemporary exhibition. Photographs and stories from the Newfoundland elements of the project were collected to form this beautiful publication, and this page features a collaborative artwork from both artists, titled Devotion, of Canadian and Shetland wool and Shetland cod with hand stitching.

Vivian Ross-Smith is a visual artist living and working in the Shetland Islands. She holds a BA (Hons) in Painting from Gray’s School of Art (2013), with her degree being partly awarded by Turku Arts Academy, Finland. Ross-Smith’s process-based practice spans painting, textile and sculpture. With a focus on traditional skills, she embeds stories and traditions of island life into the materials and imagery of her works. Ross-Smith, currently an Mlitt Fine Art student at Glasgow School of Art, is currently fighting the school, petitioning to gain support in favour of a physical degree show and delaying the continuation of all studio based courses until the complete reopening of GSA. You can find out more about the cause and sign the petition here.

Jane Walker (b. St. John’s, Newfoundland) is an artist and researcher based in Bonavista, Newfoundland. She holds a BFA in Visual Arts from Memorial University (2015) and a Masters of Research in Creative Practices from the Glasgow School of Art (2016). Her practice and research interests revolve around ideas of domestic and textile labour, island life, and contemporary rurality.