Ryder at 199th Royal Scottish Academy Annual Exhibition
Ryder presents Tapestry of the Unseen at the 199th Royal Scottish Academy (RSA) Annual Exhibition – a leading platform celebrating the highest levels of contemporary art and architecture in Scotland.
Produced by Chris Malcolm’s team in Glasgow, the triptych, entitled Tapestry of the Unseen, conceptualises place based reviews, a collaborative process of engagement that Ryder has been developing in recent years across various Scottish landscapes. The approach is both strategic and people centred – it meets in the middle to create a methodology for establishing place potential.
Here, place is perceived not as a collection of individual elements, but as a tapestry of hidden interdependencies. Driven by local identity, economy, context and climate, place reviews take a holistic overview of a location, involving stakeholders and the local community, becoming provocations for catalytic change.
These studies focus on the conditions of the ‘fringe’ – the edge of the land, aiming to unravel existing ‘threads’ of potential in an otherwise ruptured place.
Cartography has been used as a tool to represent these multi layered connections, woven through the existing fabric. The ‘notch’ is a place of transformational change, creating a ripple effect which stimulates reactionary outcomes across the landscape. The ‘darn’ becomes an important asset to the place, acting as a catalyst in the process of mending the ruptured. The wider connections are represented through ‘seams’, sewing the individual pieces of fabric together, to create a more resilient place.
Chris Malcolm, principal at Ryder, commented: “There is always something exhilarating about having work selected for display at the RSA given its status in the creative world. To be able to showcase the quality of design at Ryder in this setting is something we really value, and hope it contributes well to what is a fantastic exhibition of Scottish art and architecture.”
The tapestry envisions a future where symbiotic relationships weave together seamlessly, fostering harmony and inspiring transformative change.
Tapestry of the Unseen is on display at the RSA in Edinburgh until 8 June 2025. View online.️
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