‘An Ghaoth Aniar’

‘An Ghaoth Aniar’ by Hannah Ferguson is rooted in nature and traditions – imagery developed through a process of association rather than a fixed narrative. Here we see a tall ship on choppy seas, boosted along by ‘An Ghaoth Aniar’, The West Wind. Salmon, rendered in the style of Pictish stone carvings, leap through the water ahead. The inscription, “Speed, bonnie boat, like a bird on the wing,” references The Skye Boat Song, a melody whose cadence evokes the rocking of a boat upon the water. 

The work is less a depiction than a meditation, allowing wind, sea, song and symbol to drift together in a fluid sequence of thoughts. Rhythm is found in the rocking of the boat, the pulse of the waves, the leap of the salmon and the remembered lilt of a traditional melody carried across generations.

The piece is a hand built harvest jug, decorated in the traditional method with white slip and sgraffito. Internally a more contemporary surface treatment marks it as firmly from the 21st century – a resin in deep navy colour indicating dark water and night skies.

Materials: ceramic, resin.

Measurements: 27 x 23 x 23cm.