text by Chen Shiau-Peng
Mapping Glenfiddich
For my residency, I plan to create a series of drawings and paintings entitled Mapping Glenfiddich, using the concept of “mapping.” Generally, mapping is a process of correspondence whereby a system of signs, the signifiers, refers to a destination set, the signified. Through mapping, I will try to present the colours of Glenfiddich. This includes both the physical colour (the physical scenery of the residency and places where I visit during the residency period) and the mental colour (what has been portrayed in my mind when I perceive my feelings towards Glenfiddich, the place and the whisky). I will begin this project using various maps related to Glenfiddich. Because the basic function of maps is to guide in a journey, they were useful in my exploration of the artists-in-residence programme.
My Glenfiddich
Since 2005, I have created six text works (see http://www.shiaupengchen.com/ text_work.html ). Of these, My Melbourne was created as a commemoration of my first year in Melbourne, where I lived from 2007-2009. I plan to create a similar work entitled My Glenfiddich to record my residency at Glenfiddich.
MAPPING GLENFIDDICH I – HOW MUCH DO I WANT TO FIND YOU?
Before I arrived in Scotland, I had little knowledge of Glenfiddich, except as a well-known whisky brand. I was delighted to have the opportunity to take part in the artists-in-residence programme to explore the distillery.
The journey to Scotland was long. During my flight, many questions about Glenfiddich came to mind. What is the landscape of Scotland like? How does a distillery look? How do they make whisky?
My exploration of Glenfiddich began with maps. I collected many maps from Dufftown’s Tourist Information Centre as soon as I had arrived. Maps have a special meaning for me. They guide me as I begin on new journeys, and have brought me on travels around the world. Creating a series of works using maps reflects how much they influence me.
One specific Dufftown map provided the most inspiration. Ultimately, four drawings were created from this map. For the first piece, I used a cut out piece of the map and painted it over with white, so that the image beneath is partially obscured. This resulted in a slight confusion when looking at the map, and reflects the initial feelings of uncertainty in my journey to Glenfiddich.
I did the same to a second map, but marked the buildings of Glenfiddich on top of the layer of white paint to highlight the importance of the distillery, as it is what brought me here. I then added grids on the map to form a coordinate graph that shows the steps taken to find Glenfiddich.
The third map was also painted white, with the Glenfiddich buildings in red, and the roads coloured in black because I like the strong contrast and juxtaposition of geometric and curved lines. I drew radar lines around the distillery, again, to show the importance of this area.
For the final piece, I wanted to show the longing I felt for the area, and how much I was looking forward to my arrival in Dufftown. I therefore created a more realistic map of the area, with the terrain painted green as if it were a satellite view. I felt that the more the map resembled reality, the more it expressed the feeling that Dufftown would appear in front of me soon.
The word “map” has two meanings. The first is the noun form that is generally used, but it is also used as a verb that represents the need to search, both physically and emotionally. By travelling to a completely different country, I found that I not only learned about new places and cultures, but I also learned about myself. These four pieces together, as a series, clearly convey a celebration of my arrival in Dufftown, and function as the start of my exploration in the residency programme .
MAPPING GLENFIDDICH II – A MAP OF THE HUMAN HEART
When I first arrived in Scotland, everything was unfamiliar to me: the landscape, the language, and the people. Scotland made a vivid first impression with its scenic hills, horizontal levels, and bright colours which contrasted with the cities where I used to live.
I stayed in Dufftown and explored the small town by walking around. One afternoon, while walking along Balvenie Street on my way back to Maple Cottage, a house caught my attention. It appeared to be a typically Scottish house and didn't look much different from the others on the road, except for the fact that it had a Bagua map displayed above the door. A Bagua map is a small geometric picture many people of Chinese-descent place above their front doors to bring good luck. I was surprised to see this Chinese picture in Dufftown as I was very far from home.
I looked at that Bagua map for some while, and was touched by it, for reasons inexplicable to me. The composition of the map with eight trigrams and rectangular shapes orderly arranged, reminded me of the horizontal layers found in the Scottish landscape. This inspired me to create a series of paintings using the composition of the Bagua map. They are eight small paintings based on the trigrams. I used eight colours that I felt expressed my feelings in each of the trigrams. They are my own Scottish colours.
Later, I realised that I was so moved seeing the Bagua map in Dufftown because, up until that point, I felt removed from the culture and landscape that surrounded me, but the familiar sight of the map helped me feel more connected to the area.
MAPPING GLENFIDDICH III – MY STUDIO
Artists nowadays are not only confined to making art in studios. Rather, some prefer to work in computer labs or in offices. As for me, I still belong to that particular group of artists who prefer making art within the confines of an art studio. It is where I feel most at ease, a place that allows me to clearly organise my thoughts and at the same time, provides a stimulating environment in which I could work on my paintings.
I had lived in Maple Cottage since arriving in Dufftown. I converted the dining space into my very own studio. Surprisingly, this arrangement suited me very well. It didn’t take me long to acclimatise myself to this new environment. Soon, I felt like I was in a space similar to the one I was in back in Melbourne, doing what I am so passionate about, which is making art.
Realising that I will be in Dufftown for a short two-and-half months–the duration of my residency, I had a strong desire to produce a series of work to document this memorable experience.
I created four paintings in this series. In the first piece, I painted a map of Dufftown within which I had also indicated the location of Glenfiddich Distillery, as this was the site of Maple Cottage. In the second piece, I drew the floor plans of buildings at Glenfiddich and Maple Cottage. For the third one, I painted the floor plan of Maple Cottage. On the fourth and final installment, I painted the floor plan of my studio in Maple Cottage.
When all four paintings in this series are juxtaposed and viewed as one, they create a perspective called room-out. This work is intended to express the significant role my studio played during my tenure in Dufftown.
Mapping Glenfiddich III–My Studio is a continuation of my previous work Mapping Glenfiddich I–How Much Do I Want to Find You? Due to the fact that all the images which I refer to were derived from maps, my paintings showcase a perspective from a bird’s-eye-view.
Buildings on earth resemble pure geometric shapes when viewed from certain angles in the air because buildings are geometrically constructed. In most cases, the images of buildings seem compressed and flat. These images provide a hint that they are neither real narrative nor pure abstract. The use of painted frame indicates that pure abstract paintings can only exist or operate within this frame.
Creating images using maps identifies my journey through an unfamiliar place, whereas paintings of my studio represent my journeys in self discovery.
MAPPING GLENFIDDICH IV – MY SUPER STARS & MY DEAR DEER
Every year, artists from different countries come to Dufftown to join the Glenfiddich artists-in-residence programme. This year, the ninth year of the programme, there are eight artists from seven countries, including Canada, China, India, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, and the United States.
I am the artist from Taiwan participating in this residency. Having a group of artists of different nationalities and from different cultural backgrounds together at the same time and place is a precious opportunity. Some artists in the group are older and some younger; some are already established and some may be in the future. Some are painters, while others make photographs and sculptures. Doing the residency together gives everybody an opportunity to share their different art creations and life experiences.
I had a great time with these artists. This inspired me to create a painting showing my fellow artists in the residency. The image of the painting was derived from the map of the Glenfiddich area. I marked the cottages where each stayed, as circular dots. I then drew lines connecting each dot, indicating the interaction among these artists. The dots and lines form an image, like a constellation map of the sky. It is also a hint that a viewer can freely find his or her own (art) star in this constellation.
I also appreciated the generous sponsorship from William Grant & Sons for the Glenfiddich artists-in-residence programme. I therefore decided to create a painting to show my thanks. I chose to use a deer, the trademark of Glenfiddich, to create this painting. I used geometric shapes: square, triangular, and trapezoid, to form the image of a deer head. I used a tangram because these pieces can be combined together to form a variety of images, depending on one’s choices and decisions. Similarly, there are many ways that companies can run their business, and I think one can also choose to operate it in a creative way.
To find the stars in the sky, one must look upward. But playing a game of trangram on a table or a desk requires looking downward. This contrast of looking upward and downward recalls the distance between art and business; however, my artist-inresidence experience at Glenfiddich taught me that the two can also work together in cooperation.
MAPPING GLENFIDDICH V – SOMETHING YOU NEED FOR FINDING YOUR SPIRIT
Since my arrival in Dufftown, I have encountered many new things. Living in Maple Cottage at the Glenfiddich distillery area offered me a wonderful environment to see, to smell, to taste, and to feel whisky. Whisky became a life ingredient and deepened my spiritual discoveries.
During my residency at Glenfiddich, I gained an understanding about whisky. There are two important components. By visiting malthouses, stillhouses, fermentation rooms, cooperage houses, and warehouses, I have some basic knowledge of whisky, such as the various processes of whisky making. In addition, I understand that whisky making is not just a mechanical process, but includes spiritual elements that involve the essences of life, such as time and nurturing.
I had an idea of creating a series of work showing the different elements needed for whisky production. It is an idea that alludes to the idea of Wu Xing (the Five Elements or the Five Movements/Phases), which includes fire, earth, metal, water, and wood –elements that Chinese people traditionally use in describing interactions and relationships between all phenomena. Similarly, I drew eight elements to depict the interrelationship among the whisky making process. Every phase is unique and significant.
I selected eight elements from the whisky making process. Whisky is made in a “distillery.”“Barley” is the basic ingredient. “Water” and “yeast” are added to change barley. Roasting barley with “peat” is a good way to enhance its fragrance. The “still” is the last tool needed to make spirits. Spirits are supposed to stay in a “cask” for at least three “years” before they become whisky.
These eight elements are simplified into geometric shapes. Using a specific colour for each shape, my intention is to offer the viewer a hint that these images are derived from the distillery. I hope these paintings can function as a mapping symbol for understanding how whisky is made. It is not simply a process of “spirit” making, but essentially a journey of “spirit” finding. Although whisky making is a linear process, just like Wu Xing, there exists a circular cycle which can only be achieved through devotion, commitment, and contribution through team effort. The willingness to take on a journey is the beginning for finding one’s own spirit.
MAPPING GLENFIDDICH VI – MY EXPLORATION SPECTRUM
There are some truths that an artist cannot realise or discover until he or she begins on a work. There are also some understandings that an artist can only perceive when he or she completes a work. I usually begin a work when ideas come to my mind. It then takes me some time to figure out what these ideas truly mean to me and what I can do with them. Generally, it takes me a long time to complete a work. I enjoy the various processes of art making, in which every stage has its unique meaning and brings me new understandings.
The longer I stayed in Dufftown, the more I realised the similarities between whisky making and art making. Much care and time are needed, and each stage is important. Whisky making requires much detailed care and a long process. The amount of time whisky stays in a cask can create different flavours. At Glenfiddich, whisky is kept in a cask for at least twelve years.
Mapping Glenfiddich VI–My Exploration Spectrum is a work that reflects these understandings. I used the concept of a colour chart and the colour wheel as the basic format to create the two paintings in this series. In one painting, I drew a colour chart in which there is a coordinate graph with three dots, indicating Glenfiddich’s three most popular products (year 12, 15, and 18) and their flavour range. In the other painting, I drew a big colour wheel with three primary colours and nine secondary colours. My intent was to use the different compositions between small and big circles on a square to form an interesting visual contrast.
I applied my own colours in these two paintings to represent the above three whiskies. The “primary colours” come from what I see and how I feel about the three spirits. The “secondary colours” are derived from what I feel the different flavours of these spirits may taste. Together, they create a unique colour spectrum range, which reveals my exploration of whisky flavours.
Mapping Glenfiddich VI–My Exploration Spectrum is the last work I created in residency. It is a conclusion of my days in Dufftown, a complex flavour that I enjoy very much yet I am not able to describe in words.
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