Tess Glen Print Launch: Part of Castle Mills Then & Now | 900 Stories in Print

'Meanwhile...like glorious dandelions we rise up from these impermanent slabs'

"This print is a celebration of this ever-changing part of Edinburgh, especially the communities who, despite the constant flux, continue to hold its spirit. It comprises 2 layers: the first, a colourful soft-ground etching, is my interpretation of the past; the second, a hard-ground and aquatint etching, is based on the present day. The smoking chimneys of the old industrial factories are superimposed with cranes building luxury flats. The ground where young people once danced at the 'Palais de Danse' is now student accommodation and instead of horse-drawn milk carts coming down Dundee Street, we have the number 1 bus. In the Edinburgh Printmakers building we're still using our hands, but now to make art instead of rubber boots. I believe that the past lives in the present and in Fountainbridge the character has been formed by a century of industry and the working class. I hope the print inspires viewers to go back out into the streets and look out for traces from this era."

"Working on this project has been a wonderful opportunity for me to delve into many of my interests (social history, and the changing face of Edinburgh). I started the process by reading and viewing the archive of stories and artworks collected by Ilaria and Edinburgh Printmakers. This was a rich resource that sparked many images in my head. It was quite overwhelming at first, as there was a real diversity in the stories and the challenge was finding a form that could hold several themes. I also spent time drawing around the canal and trying to capture the atmosphere. I also attended and led one of the creative Friday afternoon sessions which were so important for meeting and chatting to people who have a connection to the area. After deciding on the final image, I spent a week in the studio experimenting with soft ground and spit bite techniques. Support from Namhara was really crucial and we worked together to choose colours and experiment with different ways to wipe the plate.

"Overall, this has been a joyful experience and I hope people can see themselves in the print."

Tess Glen is a visual artist whose work encompasses drawing, painting, and printmaking. She studied Painting at ECA before taking up a scholarship place on The Drawing Year at The Royal Drawing School, graduating in 2020. She has exhibited in the RSA, Christies and Hidden Door Festival and completed residencies at Dumfries House and the Borgo Pignano estate. Most recently she completed a month-long residency at The Funen Printmaking Workshop in Odense, Denmark. She is a member of Edinburgh Printmakers and currently has a studio at St Margaret’s House.

Tess works from observation, imagination and memory. Her work is connected to place and its potential to hold real and imagined stories. She is interested in working with different pictorial forms inspired by comic books, stained glass windows and tapestries to tell stories. In her work across mediums, she plays with the relationship between words and images, creating images that can be read in numerous ways and benefit from being viewed several times.

Find out more about Tess and her work on her website