Art in all weathers: Dunbar lifeboat features in volunteer Jay’s exhibition
Dunbar RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat will feature in a special town-wide art show this weekend, thanks to digital artist and new shore crew volunteer Jay Kirkland.
Jay was inspired to use Dunbar’s Trent class lifeboat John Neville Taylor for two digital collages that form part of her exhibition in McArthur’s Store, by the harbour. She said, ‘I photographed the lifeboat while it was berthed in the harbour and reimagined it in two sea scenes, going through the teeth of a gale. Both images also contain my signature seagull motif. My work is always made from my own photographs and often draws on folk legend and mythology.
‘There are three parts to my exhibition. The first part, outside the building, will be candid shots of people going about their work around the harbour, some of which have been on the harbour wall. The second part, called Out of Kilter, features artefacts made from waste items I have found in the harbour and local beaches, showing how lost objects can be given value, while the third part is called Seals and Selkies. For this I have made a life-size selkie, with smaller seals and selkies which are available for sale. A percentage from profits will go to Dunbar Harbour Trust to help maintain the harbour.’
Edinburgh-born Jay’s long and varied career as a creative artist dates back to her teenage years when she enrolled in a graphics course at Napier. She went on to devise the Art on the Dole multi-media exhibition for young unemployed people in the city to showcase their creativity and, after teaching herself how to design and make clothes, she initiated the Ivy League and supported over 60 Scottish fashion and textiles designers over six years. She spent three years in Poland teaching English as a foreign language and, after discovering she was dyslexic aged 40, spent 15 years as a disability advisor to staff and students at Edinburgh College of Art, Heriot Watt University and Edinburgh College.
Mother-of-one Jay, now 65, has lived in Dunbar for four years and her creative work in the harbour resulted in her recently becoming a shore crew volunteer – helping prepare the lifeboat for launching. ‘I was looking for something to do around the harbour and this seemed a good fit,’ she said. ‘Although I won’t be going out on the boats I will try to be as useful as I possibly can be.’
For more information about Jay’s exhibition and Art Route Dunbar visit https://www.dunbarartroute.co.uk.
Notes to editors
· Established in 1808, 16 years before the formation of the RNLI, Dunbar Lifeboat Station is one of the oldest in Scotland and is located on the south side of the mouth of the Firth of Forth.
· Since its formation, its volunteer crews have been honoured with 12 awards for gallantry.
· It operates two lifeboats – the Trent class all-weather lifeboat (ALB) John Neville Taylor, moored at Torness Power Station, and the D-class inshore lifeboat (ILB) David Lauder, which launches from Dunbar Harbour.
· A file photo of Dunbar’s lifeboats can be viewed here.
RNLI media contacts
Douglas Wight, Dunbar RNLI volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer, [email protected]
Alexander Williams, Dunbar RNLI volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer [email protected]
Richard Smith, RNLI Regional Communications Manager for Scotland, 07826 900639, [email protected]
Martin Macnamara, RNLI Regional Communications Lead for Scotland, 07920 365929, [email protected]
RNLI Press Office (available 24 hours) 01202 336789 [email protected]
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The RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,700 lives.
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