Declan McCourt was inspired by some of the fantastic images in The Grampian Club collection for the River Deep Mountain High exhibition. Declan was drawn to the landscapes & how they appear somewhat dreamlike.
On the Ice / Mountainside Dreaming / Rockside by Declan McCourt
Watercolour, graphite and coloured pencil on art-board
“Contributing to the archival exhibition was such an insightful and amazing experience. Looking through historic mementos and documentation of Dundee and the city’s link to the outside world was astounding. Working with nostalgic materials such as photography and books is something I enjoy, as I like that they possess memories and feelings within them, which was a running theme I found in the archives. I chose the photographs of the mountain climbers and hikers, as I loved the way that the landscapes around them looked dreamlike and mystic almost as if time had stood still, and I wanted to translate that through the media I chose.”
Declan McCourt is in his second year studying Fine Art at DJCAD. Throughout his work he explores themes of memory, nostalgia and dreaming in ways that encapsulate the emotions and feelings attached to his own experiences. Preserving memory through documentation plays a huge role in his practice and he enjoys finding new ways to solidify his experiences through mark making and other tactile mediums.
River Deep Mountain High was an exhibition in the University’s Lamb Gallery to mark the Year of Coast and Water curated by Archive Services. Artists, designers and creative writers were invited to respond to the University’s rich archive, museum and rare book collections on the themes of rivers, seas, coasts and mountains. Original photographs, journals, plans, models and specimens relating to whaling, the River Tay, the natural world and mountaineering inspired jewellery, artwork, sculpture, poetry and much more