| Description | Tape 1 Side A SUE JANE TAYLOR born 24 September 1960, Dingwall, Ross-shire. Paternal family: long line of shopkeepers, farm suppliers. Brother 6th generation in same shop on Black Isle. History of shop, now part of Spar chain. Details of opening hours. Grandmother's family, Frasers, cleared from Strathconnan tenancy, moved to Black Isle. Father not taught Gaelic. Explains. Father, grandfather beekeepers. Recalls own interest in this, different flowers. Youngest of family. Acted as father's beekeeping apprentice. Recalls Black Isle in childhood days, no bridge, few cars. Compares with today. Childhood very free, had horse, recalls riding in woods etc. Details re family names. Maternal family came to Black Isle 700 years ago from Denmark. Other family names. Recalls friendships with local old ladies, aunties. Maternal grandfather a countryside stationmaster and in charge of post office. Recalls stories told to mother about local castle, its occupants. Mentions partner, an Australian, his attachment to his homeland. Comments on place of bees, oil in own life. Details re bees, their senses. Father never went on holiday, very busy with his work. Effect of war on his life. Mother went to medical school but unable to stay because of fees, war. She worked in met office. Describes her attitude to education. She and her siblings have Alzheimers disease. Details re aunt who worked with British Council in Berlin. Mother's feelings about lost opportunities. Details re siblings, their work situations. Brother went into oil industry - drilling. Never pushed in school. Explains enjoyment of art and other subjects. Older sister always seen as the artist in family. Memories of art teacher.
Tape 1 Side B. Childhood in retrospect. Recalls regular visits to aunt, her talking about family, old times. Describes forms of discipline, freedoms in childhood. Always hated red meat, now a vegetarian. Relationship with parents, learning about facts of life. Effect of being youngest in family. Impact of sister's illness, own way of coping with this, relationship with her. Recalls incident before interview for Slade School of Art. Inspired by history teacher, John D Campbell. Mentions awkwardness of having relations teaching at school. Aged 13-14 when oil industry first came. Dramatic change to area, like gold rush overnight. Explains impact of Nigg, Ardesier construction yards. Changes to lives of locals in traditional work. Appearance of big racy cars. Some people couldn't handle the big money they were earning, gambled it away. Recalls local personalities in shop, local minister. Went to Sunday School. Feelings about religion, church, Christianity, male domination of God now. Impact of Scottish churches on art. Comments on plainness in aspects of Scotland. Suppression of emotions linked to church. Explains why art work is a way out. As teenager wanted to leave the area. Interested in sport, was North of Scotland badminton champion. Mentions Campbell cousins, Scottish champions, uncle who was coach. Importance of discipline in badminton. Another enthusiasm was cycling, keeping fit. Explains. Further details re sister's condition. Capable of being very focussed. In London post-grad days was more relaxed. Takes on responsible roles. Oil industry upset balance in village, benefited some. Explains. Mentions social problems, excitement. Little impact on own life. Brother joined industry. Details. Recalls launching of (platform) jacket modules at Nigg.
Tape 2 Side A. Describes launch of (platform) jackets, their colour, forms. Describes Nigg yard beach. Feelings at arrival of industry. Recalls size of structures. Impact of industry on shop. Growth of Inverness, opening of new bridge to Black Isle had affected nature of business, as had advent of supermarkets. Recalls history of shop, father's need to rebuild the business. Describes his attitude. His brothers had further education, professional careers. Details re own brother's work in oil industry. Describes his personality. He later took over shop. Background to own approach to work, Calvinist work ethic. Comments on attitude in family to expression of emotions, achievement, encouragement. Early desire to go to art college, leave area. Recalls family holidays in France, sister's religious inclinations, looking after her. Feelings about this. Details re Aberdeen art college, course, influences, eg Fred Stiven, Ainsley Yule, Frances Walker. Their ideas on creative processes etc. Recalls Aberdeen in 1978-82, expensive accommodation because of oil industry. Describes semi-uniform of oil workers including, leather boots and jackets, after-shave. Recalls dress of women at the time. Details re own accommodation, feelings about being away from home. Compares Aberdonians with people of Black Isle. Mentions climates. Impact of oil on Aberdeen. Background to choice of Slade School of Art, London. Mentions Gordon Brice. Describes own work at the time involving northern landscape, printmaking, sculpture. Details re work in London. Reference to Orkney. Explains approach to use of colour. Influence of Barto Dos Santos at Slade. Recalls his liking for Scots. Mentions other lecturers. Own ambition to be an artist, not a teacher. Explains. Attitude to being recognised, significance of media.
Tape 2 Side B At Slade School of Art encouraged to be more experimental. Being an artist involves taking risks. Found growing self-confidence at this time. Started looking towards Scandinavia in work, got scholarship to art school in Stockholm. Impact of this experience on life and work. Details of work done. Describes feeling, people in Stockholm, compares with Norway, Scotland. Differences in art college, facilities. Significance of water in own work. Mentions potential difficulties if family moves to Australia. Learned basic Swedish - value of this. Returned to Scotland in holidays. Contact with family. Politics important in family, mother a former Communist, became Liberal. Recalls mother's attitude, activities. Own political interests, eg in marches. Describes going on Greenham Common women's march with Camden Women's Group. Explains feelings against Margaret Thatcher, Falklands war. Became anti-establishment, a 'quiet punk'. Explains. Recalls punk society. Attitude of father. Mentions friends' lifestyles. Invited, when in Sweden, to be commissioned by Stirling Shipping Company. Details. Reference to Peter Wordie, company anniversary. Part of commission to go out on supply boat. Describes trip on Stirling Teal, wintry weather, equipment taken. Approach taken to work. Reaction of crew. Favourite sport watching cook at work. Describes voyage, approach to oil platform, lights, noise, unloading etc. Rivalry between people on platform and on ships. Details. Reference to Miller platform. Pecking order offshore. Recalls supply boat crew, their dangerous work with cargo, often at night. Many accidents. Own feelings about sophisticated technology, power of natural forces of water, wind. Frightened and excited at situation. Mentions all-male environment.
Tape 3 Side A Recalls experience of being punk female artist, initial reaction of crew. Found that men like to talk about personal lives to women, they find it hard sometimes to be in all-male environment. Details. Describes ship's motion in bad weather, minimal accommodation. People come second to cargoes. Comments on bravado image created by oil industry people. Explains different environment on supply vessels from oil platforms. Supply crews are seafaring people, used to being away from wives, partners. Oil platform men opened up more than men on supply ships. Harder life on cargo vessels than on platforms. Explains. Compares motivation of workers in each area. Explains own interest in supply boat trip, people, visual inspiration. Recalls work done after trip. Comments on initiative (to commission artists) of Peter Wordie - unusual in oil industry. Most managerial oil industry people not interested in art work. Invited to apply for teaching post at Slade. Subject matter of work extended to construction yards. Excited by idea of documenting scale of oil industry. Explains. Taught at Slade 2 years. Decision to move to Scotland, focus on work. Details re academic qualifications. Feelings re role as teacher at Slade. Offer of exhibitions in Scotland. Moved to Aberdeen (1989), got sponsorships. Worked at Peacock gallery. Details. Reference to Arthur Watson. 1986 made day visit to BP Forties platform. Details re organisation of trip, helicopter flight, fellow passengers, experience of landing on helideck. Impressions of platform, details of day touring 4 platforms. Later did art work on construction sites. Details re Clydebank. Explains approach to oil companies seeking sponsorship etc. Visited Flotta, Sullom Voe terminals. Details.
Tape 3 Side B Recalls one woman on managerial board. Predominantly men in driving seat. Next visit offshore was to Piper Alpha June 1987. Background to visit. Recalls impressions of Flotta, previous visits there. Details re time spent in Orkney, explains attachment to, feelings about refinery. Attitude of Orcadians to Flotta terminal. Compares with Shetland situation. Describes helicopter trip to Piper Alpha. Details re week spent on Piper, own activities there. Describes platform, smells, atmosphere. Allowed to wander around alone. Explains cautious attitude of workers - seen as 'company'. Mentions irony of award to Piper workers for no accidents. Recalls deafening noises, feeling the weather. Platform vibrated, moved. Impression of aftershave on men. Curiosity of workers re visit, their awareness they were being recorded. Mentions absence of people in photographs of platforms. Own increasing interest in the people there. Work became more political. Pecking order on platform. Recalls friendly atmosphere. Men wanted to talk about personal lives. Compares experience of Piper with previous one aboard supply boat. Recalls unnerving feelings being on platform. Everything more suppressed on platform. Recalls individuals, some of whom didn't survive disaster. Given turn at operating crane. Explains experience of Piper visit in own life. Difficult to discuss with people who have not been offshore. Impact of experience on work - focused more on people rather than constructions. Details re personal life at the time. Very focussed on work. Time was of the essence - limited life of construction yards. Reference to Kishorn, Lewis, Nigg, Ardesier. Explains family's reaction to trips offshore.
Tape 4 Side A After Piper Alpha visit worked for another year at Slade. Did etchings of workers. June 1988 left Slade. Was living, working in London when Piper blew up. Recalls hearing of disaster on radio. Describes reaction. Had been on board with shift that was there on night of explosion. Explains feelings of guilt. Had planned exhibition associated with Piper Alpha. Occidental, paranoid about any documentation from platform, wanted to buy up all works. Describes Occidental's attitude, hyper-sensitivity about an exhibition. Details re letter written to them. Consulted Piper Outreach centre about having exhibition. Recalls meeting with survivor Bob Ballantyne, his disturbed state at the time. Mentions his therapy. Explains own need for counselling. Benefit of meeting members of Piper Alpha association. Realisation of importance of carrying on with exhibition. Feelings about Occidental attitude. Their Aberdeen people tried to get in contact but avoided them. Exhibition went ahead at City Art Centre, Edinburgh, 1989. Special opening for families. Impact of exhibition, 'Oil Worker Scotland'. Details of works. Did another reflective series afterwards. Background to commission to design Piper Alpha memorial. Feelings about taking on job. Explains involvement of Aberdeen Council. Details re brief. Describes site of memorial. Explains own approach to commission, tight deadline. Reference to Queen Mother. Explains processes of work, difficulties with people's reactions. Details re proportion of budget contributed by oil companies. Occidental tried to stop project. Explains. Didn't try to make political statement with memorial. Explains intentions, preparation of work. Used life models for figures. Details re construction of completed figures.
Tape 4 Side B Piper Alpha memorial (cont'd). Recalls conflict between own ideas and those of committee. Explains points of conflict. Own view of what memorial stands for. Explains approach to committee, view of own role. Mentions funding issues. Some meetings very emotional. Had to be strong. Effect of own emotional involvement. Describes living, working conditions through cold winter when working on project. Explains symbolic statement being made by memorial, aspects of the work. Memorial is a statement of the pride of the worker, also a statement about capitalism. Explains. Comments on Armand Hammer, his attitude to the memorial and other commemorations of Piper. Comments on site of memorial. Own response to reactions to work from art world etc. Struggle for families to get money. Doesn't want to be labelled only as artist who created the Piper Alpha memorial. Explains. Felt drained by the project. Recalls inspiration of others at Lumsden. After Piper, artist in residence in UIE shipyard, Clydebank. Piper Alpha disaster like a bereavement. Details. Able to talk about it more freely now. Currently working on book, 'My North Sea Diaries', with Aberdeen Maritime Museum. Details. Mentions contributions to book by Ronnie McDonald, Tony Benn. Reason for being back in Highlands working as a professional artist. Possibility of going to Central Australia. Reference to partner Ian. Feelings about Australia, experience there. |