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Burns exhibition opens
01/12/2009
A photographic exhibition of celebrated Scots and their favourite Burns poems was launched today by the First Minister as part of Scotland Week in Brussels. The exhibition comes a day after Burns was voted the Greatest Scot in an STV viewers poll.
The exhibition by Tricia Malley and Ross Gillespie features portraits of 25 key figures in contemporary Scottish life including Eddie Reader, Edwin Morgan, Peter Howson, Liz Lochhead and Janice Galloway. For the exhibition, the subject of each portrait selected a Burns poem and gave a brief explanation of what it means to them.
Scotland Week in Brussels 2009 consists of a series of events to mark St. Andrew's Day; the end of the Year of Homecoming; and the European Union's Year of Creativity and Innovation 2009. It is an opportunity to showcase Scottish excellence and provide a platform to strengthen Scotland's cultural and economic links with European partners.
This week will showcase the best of Scottish creativity - culture, food and drink - and Scottish innovation in the fields of research, science and education.
'As Others See Us' has toured Scotland as part of the Homecoming Year and it will now be on display at Scotland House during Scotland Week in Brussels.
First Minister Alex Salmond said:
"'As Others See Us' celebrates Scotland's greatest cultural icon, Robert Burns, his legacy and how he continues to influence and inspire through his work.
"I am delighted to open this wonderful exhibition in Brussels at the climax of Scotland's Homecoming Year, which was inspired by the 250th anniversary of the Bard's birth.
"'As Others See Us' celebrates Scotland's cultural past and also our current creative talent, it showcases the excellent work of photographers Tricia Malley and Ross Gillespie and also the enduring legacy of Burns' vast canon of work."
Tricia Malley of Broad Daylight said:
"Working on this project has been both a challenge and an inspiration. Our style of portraiture has no fixed style but rather we adapt our approach to reflect the personality of the sitter. Our task here was to capture not only each individual sitter's character but also try to convey something of the essence of his or her favourite Burns poem in a single portrait.
"It was inspiring to work with such a diverse, creative and intellectual group of people each one of whom it was a pleasure to meet and whose cooperation with the way we work contributed greatly to the end result.
"As we discovered during the time spent on this project, Robert Burns is just as relevant, entertaining and inspiring today as he was 250 years ago."
Artists Ross Gillespie and Tricia Malley have worked together for almost 20 years under the name 'Broad Daylight'.
Scotland Week in Brussels 2009, consists of a series of events to mark St. Andrew's Day, the end of the Year of Homecoming and the European Union's Year of Creativity and Innovation 2009. It is an opportunity to showcase Scottish excellence and provide a platform to strengthen Scotland's cultural and economic links with European partners.