From the Ground Up

As part of her ongoing artistic research project in the middle section of the River Tweed, artist Anne Waggot Knott is exploring dens, follies, huts and other small buildings near St Boswells, including the crystal spring at Benrig. She is using these human-made structures to anchor research into ideas around rural hydrocitizenship: what it means for us not just to be on or near the water, but to really scrutinise how we interact with this stretch of the river.

Some of the buildings – particularly the dens and follies – appear to be frivolous, lacking any apparent function, but they all come loaded with intent and meaning, affirming or challenging embedded riverine hierarchies.

Working slowly by the riverside, swimming, walking, filming, and building using deadwood and grasses, Anne is starting to physically embed herself in the riverine setting, observing it and becoming it. By constructing miniature buildings from natural materials and placing them covertly in the environment, she is examining the implications of asserting rights or ownership over parts of the river, its surroundings, and its inputs and outputs.

Anne is continuing to develop these structures over the course of the summer. This part of the project culminates in a workshop where participants can co-create their own small-scale, temporary follies, accompanied by informal, imaginative discussion and visioning.

About the artist
A visual artist, geographer and creative consultant, Anne Waggot Knott focuses on human-environment interaction. She seeks critical points of disconnection – from our surroundings and from each other – and helps us reconnect and move forward. Her work encourages experiential re-evaluation of our place in the world through installation, printmaking, sculpture, conversation, creative writing, and digital media.
https://annewaggotknott.com
@knottintheoffice