As a Lighthouse sponsor for CLAN's forthcoming Light the North trail, we were excited to take part in the art selection process. This involved looking through the wide variety of lighthouse designs submitted to the project and making a choice of our 3 favourite designs.
At the beginning of October, we were delighted to be told that we had been allocated our first choice design entitled 'Fittie of the Rising Sun' by local lad Chris Bissett who works under the artist name Jetpack Dinosaur.
Chris’ design is a continuation of a concept he has been developing which came from refocusing his aesthetic style and practice back onto his immediate surroundings. Chris grew up in Aberdeenshire, and spent a lot of time along the northern coast around Banff and Moray, so took inspiration from the tiny coastal towns with crooked, winding lanes that almost trickle off into the sea. They rest above the huge slabs of angular waves below, creating a contrast to convey the stalwart sanctuary these humble and aged dwellings offer.
As a team, we connected with Chris over a Zoom call and he told us a bit more about the inspiration behind his design. As it turned out, some of our team also had connections with Chris from his school days and we enjoyed chatting through everyone's favourite teenage band names.
Chris' final design will be kept under wraps until the Lighthouse Trail goes live but we've sneeked in a couple of candid pics here to show the work-in-progress.
Chris is also just about to start at the black linework phase which he says will be super cool for a time-lapse video, so watch out for that on our social media channels.
We are delighted to be supporting CLAN's Light The North project to help raise awareness and funds for people affected by cancer across the north-east, Moray, Orkney & Shetland.
The lighthouse trail will now take place from March to the end of May 2021 and will feature over fifty 2.5m tall lighthouses spread throughout the north-east and Northern Isles designed by artists across the UK and beyond.
More information on the project is available at:
