Lunchtime Talk: Malcolm Mackenzie & Ashley Mackenzie-White

16 February 2021, 13:00
Online Event
Free to attend

This new lunchtime series of talks brings together a range of artists and speakers reflecting on the history, heritage and reality of life in the Highlands and Islands. These informal get-togethers are open to anyone – sit back and listen or get involved as we talk more about artist practice on Skye and the complexity and brilliance of rural life.

Join us on Tuesday 16th of February 1 pm for this informal lunchtime event as Malcolm and Ashley discuss their work and where their practises overlap.

Malcolm and Ashley are long lost, second cousins once removed (or something like that) who met when Ashley turned up out the blue in Plockton searching for her great grandfathers’ ancestral home, where Malcolm is currently staying. They share an interest in social history, the connections between people and place and a desire to engage others in their own questioning. This talk is a chance for Ashley and Malcolm to explore their common interests and how these interests relate and intersect.

Ashley has worked in the arts, culture & heritage sector for over 10 years in Aotearoa New Zealand; as a Museum Educator she engages people, inspires them and connects them with objects and places. She moved to the UK in 2018 where she delivered a nation-wide intergenerational project with the Historic England Archive, she is currently the Engagement Officer for the Museum of Gloucester and working on an exciting project for the National Library of Scotland.

I believe in the power of art to inspire, challenge & shift. Through my practice and my work within the museum sector, I want to open doors and offer people a chance to walk in. I want people to engage in ways that feel meaningful to them, to provide a space to reflect on the past and the future.”

Malcolm is an artist with a background in outdoor education. Since graduating from Glasgow School of Art’s Sculpture and Environmental Art, Malcolm has returned home to Plockton and taken on his aunt’s croft. He was the successful candidate for Mount Stuart’s Emerging Artist Residency in 2018/​19, and during the summer of 2020, Malcolm made a short film as part of Lux Scotland’s Now & Next – run in conjunction with BBC Arts.

I see my practice as socially engaged’, and look for ways to bring people together and involve them in what I do. I am interested in the connection of people to place, and see my practice as a way to help me understand and explore questions I personally have regarding the fragility of our rural areas and communities.”

If we can make it easier for you to attend this event or help with access please get in touch with admin@atlasarts.org.uk in advance of the talk.