Christine Borland
Borland explores conventional perceptions of morality in her practice, by using investigative
processes validated with historical evidence. The theme of her print for the Cove Park
Portfolio is an extension of work she developed during a residency at Glenfiddich Distillery
in 2004, in the exhibition Anatomy Acts at City Arts Centre, Edinburgh, 2006 and which
continues though a three year NESTA fellowship awarded to the artist in May 2006.
Borland's print depicts a common ailment on trees growing near distilleries, where
the bark is attacked by a black fungus. She has transplanted such a tree to Cove
Park where it will slowly return to its natural colour. The print uses both positive
and negative versions of a photograph to refer to the tree's transformation in nature,
while the horizontal positioning of this symmetrical image also alludes to biophysical
patterns such as bronchial structures and branch-like artery networks, relating back to
the artist's ongoing interest in the ethics of medical decision-making. Borland was
shortlisted for the Turner Prize in 1997 and had a mini-retrospective Preserves at
Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh in December 2006, touring to The Collection, Lincoln
in February 2007.