ANGUS MCPHEE - Weaver of Grass


ANGUS MCPHEE or MACPHEE was a crofter from Uist who spent almost 50 years in a Highland psychiatric hospital. During this time he chose not to speak - instead he wove a series of incredible costumes out of grass. These he hung on trees in the hospital grounds.

This blog follows the progress of HORSE + BAMBOO THEATRE as they develop and tour a show about Angus....

Tuesday 17 May 2011

We meet Joanne

Last night Joanne B Kaar arrived on the island with her husband Joe. They have driven down from their house by Dunnet Head in Caithness and are camping at Berneray hostel. Joanne has been working alongside the Horse + Bamboo arts team on this project for a few months now but, in all that time we've never met or even spoken to one another on the phone. But now, at last, we meet. Joanne has four large chicken feed sacks of grass weavings modelled on the work of Angus McPhee, and this morning she empties them into Berneray Community Hall, where we're working on the set. The hall now looks like this:


In the background is the model for the set that we've now completed and dressed in rough cloths. Chris, Joanne and I spent the afternoon going through the script, looking at what we might concentrate on on Thursday when the rest of the party arrive, and how we could best use Joannes remarkable woven pieces


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