At the Margins arises from this collaboration and a long-standing friendship between two printmaking communities: Print Council Aotearoa New Zealand and Aberystwyth Printmakers in Wales. This was fostered by a Strategic Insight Programme award (SIP) to Judy Macklin to develop a bi-national programme of art-science collaboration between Wales and New Zealand. The theme of this exhibition was jointly conceived by Judy Macklin, Kathy Boyle (President of Print Council Aotearoa New Zealand) and Mark Macklin.
The organisers invited PCANZ members and Aberystwyth Printmakers to reflect on the way that the ‘marginal’ positions of the British and New Zealand archipelagos have influenced the representation of culture, landscape, society, remembered histories, and how this has changed in the 21st century.
Since 2009 Judy and Mark Macklin (artist/printmaker and scientist/geographer, respectively) have worked in partnership worldwide on a wide range of multidisciplinary art-science watery realm projects relating to archaeology, biology, ceramics, earth observation, geology, geomorphology and printmaking. This journey has taken them to Greece, Romania, Spain, USA, Australia and New Zealand.
These prints on A4 paper, unmounted and boxed, constitute a very portable exhibition which can be easily transported to the other side of the world. Hanging them unframed using magnets further enhances the ‘pop-up’ nature, accessibility and flexibility of this and future exchange exhibitions.
Aberystwyth University School of Art Museum & Galleries 