Prestonholm / Jane Hyslop ; dedicated to the Shepherd family who lived at and worked in the flax mill at Prestonholm in the Parish of Cockpen, Midlothian, 1851.
Edition:
First edition
Published / Created:
Midlothian [Scotland] : Jane Hyslop, 2009.
Physical Description:
[16] p. : ill. ; 24 cm.
Collection:
Rare Books and Manuscripts
Copyright Status:
Copyright Not Evaluated
Classification:
Books
Notes:
"Prestonholm deals with the move away from industry and the communities that relied upon it and how nature reclaims once thriving sites. I have made work around this idea for some time but 'Prestonholm' is focused on my own family, one branch of which I recently discovered has links with Midlothian going back to the 1700s. 'Prestonholm' once was a small hamlet centered around a flax mill situated on the South Esk River. On investigation one finds there is a road leading into a wooded area alongside the river and bounded by a stone wall. You can imagine goods and people travelling along this little road. As you explore further the road disappears and the woods become more dense. A weir on the river indicates where the mill once stood but it is only through careful and thorough searching that one can discover the remains of the foundation of any buildings, pipes, metal fence posts and debris which give a clue to what once went on. The book's cover has the texture of linen and the viewer enters, first encountering the flax, the essential raw material. A map of the area gives a sense of the extent of the buildings once existing at Prestonholm. Then the viewer is lead into the centre where the river runs down the centerfold. The book progesses to describe the process of spinning the flax with the final page showing individual fine threads, some of which are labelled with the names of the Shepherd family who once lived and worked there."--Artists' statement.
Subject Terms:
Artists' books -- Scotland. | Flax industry -- Scotland -- In art. | Mills and mill-work -- Scotland -- In art. | Midlothian (Scotland) -- Description and travel. | Hyslop, J. -- Publisher.