In the week when the Scots are deciding whether they want to become an independent state, a collective of street artists have turned one of the country’s most-loved symbols, the tartan motif, into a digital artwork, Scotland Now reports.
Street artists TrenchOne, Elph, and Purshone have projected a stunning tartan light show on Leyden Farm, located in a rural area near Edinburgh. The projection covers the farmhouse, a barn, and group of log cabins with a digital version of the classic pattern, which has been updated for the digital generation with giant pixels of pink, purple, and yellow hues.
Amid the heated “indyref” debate, the artists claim that their eye-catching installation is not aimed at promoting neither the pro-independence nor the unionist cause, but simply to celebrate Scotland at this dramatic moment.
The artists–whose real names are Ross Blair, Brian Mcfeely, and Craig Robertson have made the project in collaboration with the filmmaker Mike Guest and the musician Jenifer Austin, under the moniker of Projector Club. The collective spent months working on the intricate project, which required state of the art digital technology. In order to turn the farm buildings into suitable projection material, the artists had to use a new technique called ‘3D projection mapping’, a specialized software that renders irregularly shaped objects into pristine display surfaces.
Scotland’s Tartan House
Photo via: Creative Review
“The eyes of the world have really been on Scotland this year, and so we thought, ‘why not give them something special to look at?’,” explained Blair, the project’s art director, in a press statement. “This project stands for all that’s vibrant and fresh about today’s Scotland, while paying homage to the history that has made us who we are. We wanted it to say that whatever happens, Scotland has a rich past and a bright future ahead.”
The Scottish independence referendum is taking place today. The first results are expected to arrive in the early hours of Friday.