Janet Melrose RSW

I am interested in the objects we leave behind. left in a drawer, on a shelf, at the back of a wardrobe. I am at present Artist in Residence with Remake Scotland which gives me access to donated items of furniture, textiles and objects. I am particularly interested in the changes which take place to objects and the homes they once belonged to when left vacant. I have been making watercolour paintings which form part of a group of work which I call ‘Dust is an Archive.’

Charles Moore in his introduction to ‘In Praise of Shadows,’ writes of the basic human requirement of the need to dwell. Of connecting ourselves to a place which belongs to us and to which we belong. This sentiment informs my work and connects me to my family homes.

Dust is an archive.

What story is to be told through dust?

A personal one.

Particles of dust caught in the sunlight of a doorway.

Transient.

Ephemeral.

A shelf.

Within touching distance but not to be touched.

A reminder of the past but present for all to see.

Dust is but the beginning.

Dust is political.

Dust is us.