Olivia Priya Foster

CONTACT
OPRIYAFOSTER@GMAIL.COM

‘THE FIRE’(2024)

‘Fire – The Mack’

Plaster and clay slip

17cm x 20cm

‘Fire – Unity Place’

Plaster and iron powder

17cm x 20cm

Born in Glasgow, Scotland (1998) and raised in Argyll, my practice often reflects on Scottish landscapes. This is often realised through; sound, performance, sculpture and moving image. My work often explores intersections of displacement, specifically through Scottish and South Asian histories. My most recent work tells stories of the intergenerational experience of migration, globalisation and the experience of being POC in Glasgow. My practice often explores the physical and social landscape of Scotland, using found objects and land to navigate my research and practice. My work often explores the intersections of my dual cultural identity, within the context of the socio-political landscape of Scotland.

‘The Fire’ Is a body of work responding to the fires at the Mack and a fire that happened on a housing estate less than a mile away from the art school at Unity Place. The fire in the Mack had a devastating impact on Glasgow’s landscape and was heavily documented over the years. The fire at Unity place happened in 1994 and claimed the lives of three woman, Anju Sood and Anita Sood and Manorma Sood. This fire also impacted the community, but in a different way – the media coverage of this story was also vastly different, with only one article existing online, with a misspelling of Manorma.

The original stone used for the cast was taken from Unity Place and was part of a performance – consisting of the stone being carried for 3 months. ‘Fire – The Mack’ is a replica of the original stone. Made form plaster and rendered with clay slip. This was made to mimic the plaster casts that have been made from parts of the Mack over the years, to immortalise the Mack and preserve the memory. ‘Fire – Unity Place’ has been made from plaster and iron powder, this results in the stone rusting and changing over time, this was made the reflect the mortality of Unity Place. The iron powder causes the stone to rust naturally. The iron powder also makes the stone heavier; the rust and continuous rotting of the stone represents with each generation less information is documented or remembered of the women and their home. Although the story has an intergenerational impact, throughout time the memory of the flat and the girls depletes.

This work functions as a way to explore the intersections of each fire, to compare what they meant to the city and the repercussions of each event. This work highlights the sensationalism the art school fire, and the antithetical response to Unity Place. What kind of commentary does this evoke within the city? and how do we define what is considered a travesty to our landscape.