2014
Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh
2014
Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh
Pig Rock Bothy was commissioned by the National Galleries of Scotland in 2014, as part of Generation: 25 Years of Contemporary Art in Scotland. It was in the grounds of the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art for six years (2014-2020), providing a flexible venue for events including workshops, exhibitions and non-residential residencies.
It was designed by architect Iain MacLeod and artists Bobby Niven as Bothy Project with collaboration from Laura Aldridge and Douglas Flett Architects. The design was based on bold and simple vernacular building forms and its angled gables reference the perturbed windswept features and rugged geology of the north-west Highland landscape of Assynt.
A research trip to Assynt helped inform the building’s form, as well as providing inspiration for a collection of ceramics and textiles created by Glasgow-based artist Laura Aldridge to furnish the space. Aldridge was inspired by patterns and colours she identified in the landscape, which were translated onto the surfaces of the ceramic vessels and fabrics.
One particular rock with a pink and grey lichen-spotted surface resembled the skin of a pig, and when Laura was asked to title the bothy, the name Pig Rock Bothy was born.
The wooden-framed structure had a polycarbonate skin that allowed daylight to penetrate, creating a bright interior space and at night, internal illumination made the building a beacon.
Bothy Project
National Galleries Scotland: Modern One, Edinburgh
Bothy Project, Bobby Niven
Architect Iain MacLeod and artists Bobby Niven and Laura Aldridge in collaboration with Douglas Flett Architects
Carpenter Oak
