Occupied Thoughts Occupied Space

“Occupied Thoughts Occupied Space” is a collaborative installation from contemporary artists Pearl Kinnear and Celie Byrne, filmmaker Iain ‘Hendo’ Henderson, Palestinian poet and feminist Alice S. Yousef and sound artist Ruaridh Law. This site specific installation has been built within the main gallery of Dunoon Burgh Hall, creating a space of visual and audible fragmented artworks to symbolise the nature of information and misinformation. We only see and hear as much as we are permitted. The multi-sensory nature of the Occupied Thoughts Occupied Space installation seeks to engage with its audience a unique experience of the maze like space, encouraging them to be guided by the sights and sounds created by the artists in response to occupied Palestine, and therefore be an active participant during their visit. Made up of large printed and stitched semi opaque hangings, the fabric obstructs the full view of the ceramic mortar shell casings (which house the specialised soundscape), filmed footage of Palestine and urban garden. The idea of this installation has been on the drawing board for over a year. While Pearl and Celie were in the throws of hanging a curated international art exhibition in Glasgow, discussions were had in the dead of night about working together on a large-scale art project and collaborating with other artists in various mediums such as film, sound, spoken word. In 2016 writer and educator Henry Bell, working with Solas Festival and Amos Trust, facilitated a trip for Scottish artists and Scottish musicians Louie and Declan Welsh, all documented by Scottish filmmaker Iain ‘Hendo’ Henderson, to visit occupied Palestine. Visiting a number of places in the West Bank; Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Ramallah, Hebron, Jenin, Ni’lin and the Jordan Valley, this trip provided an opportunity to learn about the Palestinian people’s struggle against occupation and apartheid, to perform music, and make creative connections. Occupied Thoughts Occupied Space features footage from their time in Palestine. Knowing the space and with a general understanding of the complex history of Dunoon, Pearl and Celie felt it was a good fit for what they see as an ever expanding transferable piece of collaborative artwork that can also take up residence through the evolving theme of the distortion of information in a variety other locations. And thus, Occupied Thoughts Occupied Space was created. PRINTED HANGINGS, CERAMICS, CANISTERS, URBAN GARDEN Artists Pearl Kinnear and Celie Byrne Poetry text provided by Iain ‘Hendo’ Henderson. The following cassette tapes were used in the making of this art:: - The Pogues - Wu-Tang Clan - Irish Ballads - Screamin’ Jay Hawkins - Jane’s Addiction - The Cramps - Portishead - The Pretenders - Magic & Mystery stories of Scotland and Ireland - Pink Floyd - Funkadelic - Rage Against The Machine - The Specials - Public Image Limited - PJ Harvey