Book of selkie folk stories provides inspiration for new art exhibition

The artist behind a new exhibition at the Orkney Museum took inspiration from a book retelling stories of selkie folk.

Sarah McFadyen’s new collection of paintings is known as ‘The People of The Sea’ after a book of the same title by David Thomson, published in 1954.

Sarah said: “I love this book. The author tells of his travels around the west coasts of Ireland and Scotland and up to Orkney and Shetland in search of oral telling of local accounts of the legend of the selkies.

“In the book he not only retells the selkie stories he has come across on his travels, but he also invites us into the lives of the folk he encounters along the way. There’s a beautiful seesaw between the worlds of what feels solid and documented facts alongside what could be seen as imagination and fable.

“I am constantly drawn to this line. It is also the line where the land and sea touch, where the underworld and the overworld rub against each other and where danger and safety intersect. It feels alive and makes me imagine anything is possible. The imagery in the paintings is my interpretation of these thoughts and feelings. In some of them I wanted to express the power of the bay, and the movement that constantly happens between the bay and the wider ocean, while also thinking about what is happening under the surface of the sea as well as in the air above.”

The new exhibition opens on Saturday 8 April and includes a free talk at the Museum within Tankerness House, Kirkwall.

The artwork on show includes two large maps of Hoy and Walls and the Hoy & Walls cranky made with the children of North Walls School. This was a commission from TRACS (Traditional Arts & Culture Scotland).

Sarah continued: “I was asked to make a parish map which would reflect what the folk of Hoy and Walls claim as their own locality and what they value in it. It did not have to be precise or cartographically correct, but instead illustrate locally distinctive activities and features which would draw attention to the everyday things that make Hoy and Walls significant to the locals and different from the next.

“Through gathering thoughts and stories and ideas from as much of the community as possible, and through working with the kids in the school, I gathered lots of nuggets which I then formed into the two paintings which make up the Hoy and Walls Parish Map.

“My hope is for this collection to bring joy, colour and wonder to all who see it.”

The public talk will take place at 11am on Saturday 8, it is free and all are welcome. It will consist of a conversation between Sarah and the museum’s Engagement and Exhibitions Officer, Tom Muir, who will be sharing some selkie stories that are linked to the artwork.

The People of the Sea by Sarah McFadyen is on display from 8 -29 April. The Orkney Museum is open Monday-Saturday, 10:30am – 5.00pm. Admission is free.