Viewfinders Club

Are you between 20 and 30, based on or from an Argyll island, with an interest or career in culture, heritage and arts? 

The Rámh team invites you to get involved in the Viewfinders Club - a group of islanders keen to explore their experience of island life through The Viewfinders Kit. The Viewfinders Kit, created by Artist Amy Dunnachie, contains a collection of tools and ‘probes’ for capturing ideas about what it means to be who you are and where you are. 

The kit includes:

• A camera obscura for viewing the world differently 
• A (depth of) field notebook for mark-making/collecting insights
• A ferry ticket to anywhere 
• A build-your-own-message in a bottle 
• A reel of cyanotype to represent ‘reel’ perspectives 

To take part, register here or please email amy@chartsargyllandisles.org

This project will run throughout May and June, and you will receive your Viewfinders Kits via post. There are a total of 10 kits available, so be quick! 

The group will have the opportunity to keep in touch throughout the project, or you can take part anonymously. 

Camera Obscura

The Obscura has similar technology to the human eye - with an opening (pupil), a convex lens and a surface where the image is formed (retina). 

You can use the Obscura to view subjects it faces, seeing it upside down on the back screen. What changes about the view from your window when it flips? How does the outside world look when it is turned on its head? You can play with sharpness by adjusting the camera like an accordion, obscure the view and blend the colours by pulling it out or focus the shapes by pressing it in.

Tip: shroud the back of the camera with a cardboard box when you’re in a well-lit environment to get a better view on the screen. Cut a hole that the camera can fit snugly into on the base of the box, cover any holes or cracks that let light in with tape and, if you can, paint the inside of the box with black paint.

Take the camera obscura about your island with you. What island observations would you flip, now you have the chance?

(Depth of) Field Notebook

Handbound with brass and blank postcards, this element of the Viewfinders Kit prompts you to make marks, collect, observe, discover, and be present. What will you notice about your environment? 

Build your own Message in a Bottle

What does it feel like to be an islander? 

Follow the prompts to collate a stream of consciousness on that feeling. What would that feeling be if it was a smell, taste, sound, texture, activity or object? Is it something you’ve bottled up, or something you want to bottle if you could?

Reel Perspectives 

Use this reel of cyanotype to make imprints with sunlight, all at once or in small instalments. Simply pull gently on the paper to reveal paper that has been painted with a light-sensitive solution and place something to block the light in order to ‘develop’ an image.

You can use found objects, natural materials you find out and about, everyday utensils - any object that is in your island life. The prompt: what imprint do you want to make on your island life? 

Do you want to keep the environment clean? Do you want to inspire others to learn about their local culture? Do you want to help with local initiatives to improve access to career opportunities? Whatever it is, choose something to represent this with and make your mark in the sun.