Inspired by the products and processes that made the North British Rubber Company (NBRC) one of the largest manufacturers in Edinburgh, artist Mark Doyle has created this work after researching promotional material held at the archives of the NBRC.

Each of the 45 panels feature elements associated with the NBRC and rubber production. From iconic products such as rubber boots, and hot water bottles to Clincher tyre tracks and more obscure items such as gaskets, tubing, expansion joints, and even rubber horseshoes.

“I wanted to show the history associated with this building but also link it to its current use as Edinburgh Printmakers. The tracks made from a boot or a bike tyre are examples of printmaking in its simplest form and the idea of the multiple is fundamental to both mass production and the creation of artist’s print editions.

 

In many of the panels I’ve combined both positive and negative forms, I wanted to reference the fact that the items produced by the NBRC were made using mould making and casting techniques in which copies of the same object are produced from an original mould. I used similar techniques to make the panels but instead of casting soft rubber shapes from hard moulds, I used rubber moulds to cast the concrete panels.”

Mark Doyle, visual artist, born Edinburgh 1983.

As well as featuring casts from original and reproduced objects the work also features a cast of leaves from the Hevea Brasiliensis tree (commonly known as the rubber tree), a sample of which was kindly donated by The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.