Bloodlines: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5

Bloodlines is a collection of five films, the third series of work I’ve made for Living in the Landscape (LiLa) and as such forms the third part of a film 'trilogy'.

Bloodlines considers shared experiences related to the industrialisation of northern land and seascapes. While these experiences are hyper-local, many are widely shared by communities in different northern and Arctic countries. By sharing experience of the impact these industries have on social and more than human relationships, the film aims to reflect glimpses of strength in communality, and hope in kinship by generating discussion and contact between people as they share the QR cards which take you to each film. The experience of taking part in LiLa has fostered hope through kinship with other participants and has also encouraged me to explore kinship in relation to the human and more than human.

The film is participatory in that it can be accessed on mobile phones through a QR code found on cards and stickers distributed in public places, in the first instance in Nesna, Norway during the exhibition Kindred at the Helgeland Museum, part of Living in the Landscape 2025 organised at Nord University in Nesna, Norway, 19-23 May. Participating universities included University of Lapland, Umeå University, Nord Universitet, University of the Highlands and Islands and University of the West of Scotland.

All the films I've made for the Living in the Landscape project refer to the Arctic and Northern landscapes which have been impacted by extractivist practices employed by the green energy industries as they industrialise rural land and seas. The films in Bloodlines response to the injury caused by the large scale industrial wind farm built by Viking Energy. Shetland is one of the sparsely populated areas of the countries represented in the LiLa project, including Shetland, Scotland, Finland, Sweden and Norway.

The collection of films is based on the idea that while these experiences are hyper-local, many are widely shared by communities in different countries and are rooted in exploitation, colonisation, and fostered by extractivism.

This work is supported by VACMA - the Visual Arts and Craft Makers Award from Shetland Arts Development Agency and Creative Scotland.

Further information about my work in relation to the Viking Energy Wind Farm in Shetland and the Living in the Landscape Project is here: www.landscapeinpain.uk