'IN this DAY and AGE'
‘IN this DAY and AGE’ is a major commission by artist-photographer duo John Kippin & Nicola Neate.
For years, Kippin & Neate have been living in North Uist, one of a remote group of six islands that form part of the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. The move from their adopted hometown of Newcastle was made possible by a Leverhulme Trust fellowship, which allowed the duo to fully integrate into the small island community of Uist.
Both John Kippin & Nicola Neate’s individual artistic practices have explored the importance of place through photography and how photographs can simultaneously offer a stark, unfiltered view of place-based identity and, at the same time (often through the use of overlaying text), subvert or enhance the image, a technique commonly employed in advertising billboards.
Living in North Uist has allowed Kippin & Neate to closely research and document – through photography – what it means to be part of island life, how this is changing, and the ecological impact of increasing tourism, migration and militarism, alongside reflecting upon the nature of traditional island narratives and their representation.
Copyright: IN this Day and Age, Nicola Neate & John Kippin
Nicola Neate
portrait of Nicola Neate © John Kippin
John Kippin
portrait of John Kippin © Nicola Neate
John Kippin and Nicola Neate are artists currently based in the Western Isles, whose practices explore landscape, place, and the social and political histories embedded within environments.
John Kippin is a British artist and photographer whose conceptual practice examines landscapes shaped by social, political, and economic change. He has exhibited widely in the UK and internationally, including at the Serpentine Gallery, The Photographers’ Gallery, London and BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art. Alongside his artistic practice, he was Head of Art and Design at Cumbria College of Art and is currently Emeritus Professor at the University of Sunderland.
Nicola Neate is an interdisciplinary artist working across photography, printmaking, sculpture, assemblage, and socially engaged practice. Her research-led work engages with ecology, community, and environmental concerns, often through collaborative processes and the use of found materials. She exhibits regularly and is currently developing new work supported by Creative Scotland.