DELUGE

at Edinburgh Printmakers

curated by David Faithfull

Our relationship with water is universal and nowhere more so than here in Scotland. From the rains and mists that beat and shroud our landscape to the waves and storms that lash our shores, this elemental force is engrained in our national character. Over the miliennia we have learnt to tame this life force in all its myriad of uses, re-directing it through pipes, drains, canals, industries and creative tributaries. And nowhere is this more so than at 23 Union Street.

From its inception as a municipal Washhouse through to its current purpose as the much loved studio and galleries for Edinburgh Printmakers, water has been central to activity and innovation. Through the initial laundry ablutions to the medium that is fundamental to lithography and screen-printing, it has permeated the building and the actions within its walls. With their upcoming relocation to Fountainbridge by the Union Canal, another chapter of this building’s colourful and watery history draws to a close and a new one opens.

To celebrate this auspicious event, EP has organised a member’s exhibition and supporting events. Through the DELUGE exhibition, we invite members past and present to consider water in all its manifestations, uses and symbolism, responding to this aqueous element, in whatever form of their choosing. There are no limits as to how you interpret the theme. Cast your imaginations to mountain brooks and lowland burns, highland lochs and forest pools, across oceans and seas, upwards into the cloudscapes and meteorological mantle that veils our land.