After the Storm is an exhibition of fine furniture constructed from timber from the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh windblown during Cyclone Andrea in 2012. Highlighting the beauty of Scottish-grown timber and craftsmanship amongst our Scottish furniture makers, the exhibition also focuses on the restorative and rejuvenating effects of storms in nature and trauma upon the natural and human environment.
The work of Jane Hyslop who teaches in illustration and who recently ran ‘Plants of the World’ with our second years focuses around flora and regeneration. For After the Storm she has made a series of drawings based on plants recorded in Gore Glen, Midlothian.
Several trees were destroyed or damaged there in 2012 during Cyclone Andrea and more have followed. The natural process of regeneration is explored through a fascination in the plants and the drawing process. Ranges of species are laid out in compositions created through drawing collected plants in the studio.
Hyslop has also created artist’s books that explore the subject of After the Storm through experimental methods of working with paper that extend previous works. Wood veneered paper vessels containing scrolls depicting plants from the site use the form and format of the artist’s book to exemplify the violence and destruction of the storm while offering a snapshot of regeneration at different stages in Gore Glen.
