Miriam Sentler
Brigdði Gazette Publication, designed and printed in collaboration with Gaada, Isle of Burra, Shetlands (UK)Brigði Gazette
Artist Publication, 2023
The brigði is a sea monster, believed to be closely related to the basking shark, an animal hunted almost to its extinction by the early oil industry and small island communities before its protection in Scottish waters in 1994. The riso-printed artist publication collects sightings of the brigði around the Shetlands in the last 200 years, using old newspaper articles from the Shetland Museum & Archives as a starting point. It takes the reader on a journey through the eyes of Shetland fishermen, describing awe-inducing, frightning and sometimes comical experiences made on sea.
The project starts from the various linguistic definitions of the name of the sea monster, brigði, meaning “basking shark” (Shetland dialect), "right to reclaim"/ "change" (Old Norse) and “bridge" (Nynorsk) and researches the meaning of the basking shark as a living point of connection between Bergen and the Shetlands, focusing on the perception and use of the oil-producing animal in the different coastal areas where it surfaces. The aim of the project is to organise workshops and collaboration days with visual artists from both the Shetlands and Norway, creating a “bridge” between these two coastal communities.
The work forms a continuation of Miriam Sentler’s previous project Cairban: A Contemporary Shark Hunt (2021), on which she went on a search for the animal herself, together with environmental humanities researcher Sadie Hale (1991, UK/NO).
The project starts from the various linguistic definitions of the name of the sea monster, brigði, meaning “basking shark” (Shetland dialect), "right to reclaim"/ "change" (Old Norse) and “bridge" (Nynorsk) and researches the meaning of the basking shark as a living point of connection between Bergen and the Shetlands, focusing on the perception and use of the oil-producing animal in the different coastal areas where it surfaces. The aim of the project is to organise workshops and collaboration days with visual artists from both the Shetlands and Norway, creating a “bridge” between these two coastal communities.
The work forms a continuation of Miriam Sentler’s previous project Cairban: A Contemporary Shark Hunt (2021), on which she went on a search for the animal herself, together with environmental humanities researcher Sadie Hale (1991, UK/NO).
Brigði forms a collaboration of visual artist Miriam Sentler (1994, DE/NL/NO), Gaada Shetland (UK) and Pamflett Bergen (NO). This publication is the first outcome of this long-term project.
Concept: Miriam Sentler (1994, DE/NL)
Texts: Copyright: Shetland Museum & Archives
Design & illustration: Jono Gardisand & Daniel Clark (Gaada)
Size & Binding: 279 × 432 mm, folded
Font: Century Old Style by Morris Fuller Benton from Adobe Originals & Carol Gothic by Alexander Lubovenko and Alexandra Korolkova from Paratype
Paper: Newsprint, 120 grams
Riso-printed at: Gaada, Toogs Artist Workshop, Isle of Burra, Shetlands (UK)
Hand-bound by: the artists
First edition: 15 copies
Funded by: Pamflett and Gaada
Presented at: Gaada Shetlands (UK)
Special thanks to: Shetland Museum & Archives
Concept: Miriam Sentler (1994, DE/NL)
Texts: Copyright: Shetland Museum & Archives
Design & illustration: Jono Gardisand & Daniel Clark (Gaada)
Size & Binding: 279 × 432 mm, folded
Font: Century Old Style by Morris Fuller Benton from Adobe Originals & Carol Gothic by Alexander Lubovenko and Alexandra Korolkova from Paratype
Paper: Newsprint, 120 grams
Riso-printed at: Gaada, Toogs Artist Workshop, Isle of Burra, Shetlands (UK)
Hand-bound by: the artists
First edition: 15 copies
Funded by: Pamflett and Gaada
Presented at: Gaada Shetlands (UK)
Special thanks to: Shetland Museum & Archives
Brigdði Gazette Publication, designed and printed in collaboration with Gaada, Isle of Burra, Shetlands (UK)
Brigdði Gazette Publication, designed and printed in collaboration with Gaada, Isle of Burra, Shetlands (UK)
Brigdði Gazette Publication, designed and printed in collaboration with Gaada, Isle of Burra, Shetlands (UK)
Brigdði Gazette Publication, designed and printed in collaboration with Gaada, Isle of Burra, Shetlands (UK)
© Miriam Sentler 2022