Julie Dennison "Da Holmliwatters" Commission
Back in 2021, Julie Dennison was commissioned by Gaada, alongside four fellow writers, artists and community groups, to respond to Walter Scott’s unfinished Shetland By Numbers project. Her resulting work, Da Holmliwatters, responds to Scott’s Holms in Fresh Water Lochs by exploring a place meaningful and magical to Julie.
We’re mirrlin to share Julie’s new zine and this lovely insight into their practice…
I jimpit at da chance tae wirk wi Gaada as pairt o dir Safeland project, respondin ti' een o da 5 uncompleted projicts o Walter Scott’s Shetland by Numbers. Whin I wis gien da list o projicts tae choose fae, I kent at I haed tae geen fir “Holms in Freshwater Lochs”.
Mi first tocht wis it wid be a response at heivily featured a loch caad Da Holmliwatters. Da Holmliwatters is a loch in da middle o Muckle Roe at haes twa holms at da tap o him. De’r a rodd at geens up ower da Mill Knowe tae da loch, an aroond da hael perimeter. Fokk in da sooth end o Roe wid cut dir paets here, bit nooadays de’r jüst wan bank at’s been cut in recent years. I im a aafil sentimental person an I hae a lok o memories o comin here as a bairn, mainly in da simmer, so I kent at dis wid be da ideal subjict.
Whin I haed mi first meeteen wi da eens at Gaada, I haed it in mi heid at I wid hae tae create a single, ‘final’ piece, a tocht at maed me feel reider apprehensive. I im someen at draas sketches in books an on laefs o paepper, an dey tend tae no git developed ony ferder. Bit it wis suggestit at my response ti' da brief süd be jüst dat, peerie sketches in books an on bits o paepper at could be collectit an shaan tagidder.
At wir meeteen, I wis taen mi Leuchtturm sketchbooks, as weel as mi One Sketch A Day books. Each One Sketch A Day book lests a year, an I completed twa in 2015 an 2016. Da Holmliwatters features twartree times in dis books, an I wis encouriged tae øs dis pictirs alangside new wark, tae shaa da lang-term connection at A’m haed wi da plaess.
As I pat new wark tagidder fir da response, I wantit tae wirk mainly in pen an ink, as dat’s whit I tend tae øs in mi sketchbooks onywye. Ee thing at I decidit tae dø wis gadder a skaar o watter fae Da Holmliwatters, an øs dat fir pentin wi. Noo I keen you could øs watter fae onywhar, but I felt at it kinda brocht it aa tagidder, øsin da loch watter tae pent whit could maebbi be tocht o as ‘self portraits’.
I wantit tae øs written pieces alangide da draaeens tae illustrate facts an mi experiences. Facts an figures wis written in pen an in aal caps tae emphasise at dis wis uncheingable, definite truths, whar mi tochts an feeleens wis written in pencil an in peerie letters, tae shaa at dey ir fleetin an temporary in da graand scheme o things.
Mi first language is Shaetlan, so documentin da hael response in mi midder tongue wis da naiteral an obvious choice. Writin in Shaetlan is somethin at A’m completely transitioned til ower da past twartree year, an noo tae write in English feels very impersonal, an a inaccurate representation o wha I im as a Shetlander.
So, come da end o da projict I haed a dizzen pictirs an photoos an scraps o paepper at I wis skreetled on. I wisna sure hoo da pieces wid come tagidder in da end, an so I left it up tae da eens at Gaada tae wirk wi it aa an see whit could come o it. I wis some excitit whin I wis telt at dey wir tinkin aboot makkin it aa inti' a zine, somethin at A’m wantit tae dø ivver fae I first got keeneens aboot da format. Whin I wis a bairn, I maed a screed o books wi stories aboot me, mi pals, or da cartoons I wis obsessed wi at da time, so pullin it aa tagidder in dis wye seemed perfect. I wis jüst mirrlin whin I wis shaan da faaldy-oot map at slips ower da front cover, tae reveal da aerial draaeen at I did tae illustrate da paet banks at folloo da loch’s perimeter. Hit wis datn a brilliant idea.
Da zine - while da content is aa mi ain wark - still haes Gaada’s distinct stylistic stamp on it, an is aa da better fir dis projict at w'ir realised tagidder. I im so chuffed wi hoo it’s come oot. I im raelly lookin forward tae seein whit fokk mak o da zine whin it’s released, it’s been a raelly excitin projict tae be a pairt o, an I im aafil tankfil fir Gaada’s input, tae realise a feenished piece at I im aafil prood o. Peerie me wid be delichtit.
PS. I startit a new Sketch A Day book in January, an da Holmliwatters features tree times so far in him. An so on it geens…!