andrew mackenzie
Altered Flow
South pavilion, ‘Altered Flow 1’ (gesso, oil and silverpoint on pine), ‘River 1’ and ‘River 2’ (framed etchings)
Museum room, ‘Altered Flow 2’ (gesso, oil and silverpoint on pine)
Near the pond, ‘River 1’ and ‘River 2’ (etched copper plates)
In the early 1600s, the seventh Laird of Traquair changed the course of the river away from the house. ‘Altered Flow 1’ was based on the pond near the house, a remnant of the original river course, while the second drawing was based on the ‘new’ river, at the point where the Quair Burn flows into the Tweed.
I also installed a pair of postcard-sized etched copper plates next to the original flow of the river. The editioning of prints from these plates was split, with half made before the show and half after, once the plates had been ‘exposed’ on-site.
I am fascinated by how we create and recreate our sense of landscape and place, in terms of physical construction and through changing perceptions. The works are also simply about two related points in the landscape, which are linked (now invisibly) by the river’s altered flow.
Andrew Mackenzie is a painter whose work mines a territory between pure abstraction and representation. His work responds to the landscape and overtly acknowledges the constructs through which it is seen. Now based in the Borders, and trained at Edinburgh College of Art, he is represented by the Sara Myerscough gallery in London, and has presented several successful solo exhibitions there. His work has also been included in important group exhibitions, and he has shown his work widely in the UK and abroad. He has received several research and development awards, and has works in many collections, including The Fleming Collection and The University of Edinburgh.