Images of Scotland produced using a simple camera phone make up part of a new exhibition at the University of Aberdeen.
Sunderland-based artist Tim Brennan used the everyday technology to capture scenes across northern England and Scotland for his exhibition 'The North', which will be at the Old Town House, Old Aberdeen until November 2007.
The exhibition – which also includes watercolours based on images from the Hubble Space Telescope - is inspired in part by two centuries of northern tours by British artists and by their interactions with the landscape.
Peter Davidson, Professor of Renaissance Studies at the University of Aberdeen, said the pictures represented "a triumphant use of the very technology which is stigmatised as blunting contemporary visual sensitivities," adding that Brennan had produced "images which add to the heritage of Scottish and English depictions of landscape."
The series of ten photographs have been enlarged beyond pixilation, so each of Brennan's works becomes blurred into an impressionistic fugue of colour. Rather than encountering cold or industrial landscapes, his camera records warm-toned colours which paint 'the North' in a new light.
Brennan's watercolours reverse this equation. Taking images from the Hubble Space Telescope as a starting point, his hand painted 'space-shapes' are characterised by jagged forms and jewel-like colours, and unexpectedly resemble objects much closer to home.
The Old Town House is located in the heart of Old Aberdeen. When it is was built in 1788/89 it was the hub of the Burgh and the focal point for a busy trading community.
The University has recently completed vital restoration work on the Old Town House with generous support from the Heritage Lottery Fund and Aberdeen City Council. Today it remains the focal point of Old Aberdeen and is the visitor gateway to both the University and its medieval campus.
'The North' exhibition is sponsored by the University of Aberdeen and is open Monday to Saturday, 9am to 5pm, free of charge until November 2007.
Access to the upper floors of the Old Town House is limited and visitors with restricted mobility are requested to contact Marischal Museum (01224-274301) to discuss access.