A Robert Gordon University (RGU) photography student has created an artistic response to the oil and gas downturn in Aberdeen.
Suzanne Forrest (28), who is studying commercial photography at RGU’s Gray’s School of Art, has explored the challenges facing the city’s oil and gas industry for her final year project, which will go on show at the art school next week.
She said: “My project is a response to the oil crisis that has catastrophically rippled through the local economy. It considers a once strong, powerful and seemingly invincible industry, reflecting on its current state while questioning its future.
“It is important for me as an artist to respond to the environment around me and living in Aberdeen City I have witnessed first-hand the effects of the economic downturn. The fact that this has had such wide spread impact should make this project relatable to a larger audience. This was an important factor for me, to use this opportunity to create work almost as a homage to those whose lives have been so greatly affected by the recent events of the industry.”
Having an interest in Fine Art, Suzanne has approached the subject with an alternate perspective, using photography merely as a starting point.
“I took what could be perceived as ‘typical’ oil and gas related imagery and combined it with a medium that I felt conveyed the fragile state of the economy,” she explained. “This technique involved using laserjet prints and covering them in an acrylic medium.
“The acrylic medium bonds with the toner within the prints which then allowed me to remove the backing paper from the prints and I was left with an image suspended within an acrylic skin. This process is fragile and unpredictable, akin to the industry that it depicts.
“Contrary to the bold style of imagery the subject through the applied process and medium, has been altered from its original state weakened in its structure and now beholding a sense of fragility, comparable to the industry’s current condition.”
RGU’s Commercial Photography course is the only one of its kind in Scotland that allows students to progress from an HND at college to gain a degree in just one year at university, with students now able to choose to stay on for an honours year.
The course combines practical photography with key activities in relation to business start-up, as well as theoretical study, and is delivered jointly by Gray’s School of Art and Aberdeen Business School at the university, alongside North East Scotland College.
Suzanne’s images will go on display at Gray’s School of Art, Garthdee Road, as part of the Commercial Photography End of Year Show which runs from Tuesday, May 10 to Saturday, May 14. A selection of images will also appear in the art school’s Degree Show exhibition in June.
Suzanne said: “The exhibition has been very much at the forefront of this project as I wanted it to be relatable and engaging. Although slightly nerve-racking, I think it will be an enjoyable and rewarding way to finish my degree at RGU.
“The course itself has allowed me to expand my practise, my creative style and allowed me to take ownership of what I want to create while assigning meaning to it through the study of Critical & Contextual studies. For me it’s been a defining year in my career. The support of the lecturers has also been brilliant.”