The suite of two pencil drawings made by artist Danny Holcroft were commissioned by Passing Place to generate a new series of artworks which explore the underrepresented identity of ‘The Gael’, an idea of a cultural figure informed by stories passed down for many generations to Curator Deirdre MacKenna, and existing on the periphery of contemporary Scottish society, constant but indistinct.

Danny uses a process of dialogue, drawings and archival research to develop his works of which, ‘The Act of Proscription 1746’ and ‘Holdfasts/Anchors, Kelp Farmers’ are the first to emerge in this series. Filtering his research through his imagination and memory, the resulting drawings reveal imagery which enables historical figures to return to our present and participate in our own sense of identity.

The Act of Proscription was a British law passed in 1746 to suppress or break the identity of the Scottish clan system in the area of ‘The Highlands’; it focused on disarming the region, banning Highland dress, and ultimately eradicating the cultural identity of the people of west Scotland and the Highlands.

The word ‘holdfast’ refers to the structure that anchors kelp/seaweed to rocks, making it strong enough to weather even the wildest storms. Kelp has always been an essential part of our ecosystem, providing biodiversity habitats for marine creatures, capturing carbon and removing pollution, foraged by humans for nutritionally rich foods and medicines, and providing fertiliser and ingredients for products including soap, glass and gunpowder.

Until the late 19th century, west Scotland had a viable and valuable kelp-industry which employed tens of thousands of people and, although their contribution has rarely been recorded, the gathering and processing always included women, whether battling the elements on the shore or in today’s pioneering aquaculture industries combatting climate change, over-fishing and providing sustainable ways to manage our natural resources.