Gift / Gave

GIFT / GAVE is the first of two pieces of work which resulted from a two- month residency in the small town of Sand on the west coast of Norway in 2007. Flowers that were given to us as gifts on our arrival, trees, traditional Norwegian flower painting and knitting patterns inspired both pieces. GIFT / GAVE is a site-specific piece which involved painting flowers on a small sewage pumping station located next to the ferry in the centre of Sand. Our use of UVR light- revealing paint ensured that not only were the paintings visible by day, but they also glowed in the dark when viewed under blacklight. We also made a number of 'invisible' paintings on buildings around the town. These are revealed after dark under the beam of a blacklight torch. The search for this trail of hidden images was a feature of our opening event, which we turned into a competition for groups of children. Blacklight torches can be borrowed from a number of outlets in the town to allow people to see the paintings.