The Hirta Portfolio: Q&A with Susan Wilson
Find out more about this portfolio of poems and etchings created in DCA Print Studio.
One of the first projects undertaken in our Print Studio when DCA opened in 1999 was The Hirta Portfolio.
This collaboration between writer Bill Duncan and printmaker Susan Wilson commemorates the culture and evacuation of the island of St Kilda. It consists of a suite of five poems written by Bill, each accompanied by an etching created by Susan. We're delighted that The Hirta Portfolio is currently on display in our shop.
Over 25 years after its creation, we caught up with Susan to find out more about the making of this work and what's happened to it since.
Published
How did The Hirta Portfolio come about?
Bill Duncan was working on a National Trust for Scotland archaeological dig on St Kilda, and while he was there he was working on a book about Dundee. It wasn't until he came back from St Kilda that he wrote the five poems about the history and the culture of the island and what it was like after the evacuation.
It was suggested to him, once he had written the poems, that it would be nice for them to have some sort of visual accompaniment. He already knew my work and asked if I would be interested in doing something to go with them. I read them and I could really respond to them, so we started working together with Steph Masterson and Annis Fitzhugh in DCA Print Studio to create the portfolio.
Tell us about creating the portfolio in DCA Print Studio.
When we were deciding what the edition size would be, we realised it had to be 36 - one for each of the people who were evacuated. And each is named after an islander, which is a nice thing, but it did mean there were well over 200 etchings to print, so it was quite a task!
The process was a real collaboration, with Steph Masterson screen printing the poems and Emma Fraser making the folios for the finished edition. I remember the studio was closed on a Monday to other printmakers, so I would come in and work away when it was quiet. It was a lot of work, stretching and drying the etchings once they were printed. I've no idea how many Mondays it actually took - we just kept going until it was all done.
What's your relationship with DCA Print Studio?
When I came to Dundee, which was in 1983, one of the first things I did was join Dundee Printmakers Workshop at Dudhope. Then that closed and moved to the Seagate and I became one of the board of directors. Then, when the Seagate was closing because DCA was going to be built, I was on the working party to set up the print studio here. I was here for the opening of DCA, which was extraordinary in that it changed Dundee overnight as a city, or at least that's how it seemed to me. The next day it opened to the public and I was in the print studio showing people around.
So I've been here from day one and I'm still using it today, even though I've moved - it's my home from home.
What's happened with the project and The Hirta Portfolio since its creation?
We've exhibited the portfolio in many different places, including the offices of ScotlandEuropa in Brussels for the Natural Elements exhibition.
Then, when we showed it at the university, we did it as a collaboration alongside a film about St Kilda. It was also shown in Dundee Rep when Bill Duncan's play The Haar was performed. So there have been lots of times when it was exhibited as part of wider events.
Normally there would be a talk as well, so Bill would do a reading of the poems. The only time I read the poems myself was when the folio was part of an exhibition at Gigha Gallery. It was very moving reading the poems out loud to an audience. And Gigha was special because it's an island and a small community with links to St Kilda.
Wherever it's gone, it's always been well received. I think it's one of the pieces of work that I'm most proud of.
A limited edition book was created to accompany the porfolio - can you tell us a bit about that?
That came about when the portfolio was exhibited on Gigha. The owner of the gallery asked if she could have something that was a facsimile of the folio. We created a little handmade book that includes the etchings and the poems. The cover of the book is black, like the portfolio, and it has the same ribbon on it that we used to tie the portfolios.
Thanks Susan! You can see The Hirta Portfolio in DCA Shop, alongside the limited edition book. Both are available to buy, with The Hirta Portfolio also available to order from our online shop.
Shop The Hirta Portfolio
DCA Print Studio
Find out more about our state-of-the-art Print Studio, Get Creative classes, and how to become a Registered User.
