Angus MacPhee
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Angus McPhee or MacPhee (1916–1997) was a Scottish
Outsider Art Outsider art is art made by self-taught or supposedly naïve artists with typically little or no contact with the conventions of the art worlds. In many cases, their work is discovered only after their deaths. Often, outsider art illustrates e ...
ist, who lived as a young man in the community of Eochar (Sc.Gaelic: Iochdar) on the island of South Uist, part of the Outer Hebrides. He made his art by weaving found vegetation, such as grasses, into extraordinary garments. He also used sheep's wool picked from barbed wire fences, and leaves. MacPhee created most of his work whilst in the
Craig Dunain Hospital Craig Dunain Hospital was a mental health facility near Inverness in Scotland. The former hospital is a Category B listed building. History The hospital, which was designed by James Matthews, opened as the Inverness District Asylum in May 1864. ...
near
Inverness Inverness (; from the gd, Inbhir Nis , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness"; sco, Innerness) is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands. Histori ...
. He chose not to speak for 50 years.


Biography

MacPhee was born into a
crofting Crofting is a form of land tenure and small-scale food production particular to the Scottish Highlands, the islands of Scotland, and formerly on the Isle of Man. Within the 19th century townships, individual crofts were established on the bette ...
family from Eochar/
Iochdar Iochdar ( gd, An t-Ìochdair), also spelled ''Eochar'', is a hamlet (place), hamlet and community council, community on the west coast of the island of South Uist, in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. Iochdar is also in the parish of South Uist. It i ...
,
South Uist South Uist ( gd, Uibhist a Deas, ; sco, Sooth Uist) is the second-largest island of the Outer Hebrides in Scotland. At the 2011 census, it had a usually resident population of 1,754: a decrease of 64 since 2001. The island, in common with the ...
(
Outer Hebrides The Outer Hebrides () or Western Isles ( gd, Na h-Eileanan Siar or or ("islands of the strangers"); sco, Waster Isles), sometimes known as the Long Isle/Long Island ( gd, An t-Eilean Fada, links=no), is an island chain off the west coast ...
), although he was actually born in Nettlehole, west of
Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
, whilst his father worked as a hired hand before returning to Uist to settle when Angus was 7. As a young boy on the croft, he learnt how to make ropes and horse-harness from the abundant
marram grass ''Ammophila'' (synonymous with ''Psamma'' P. Beauv.) is a genus of flowering plants consisting of two or three very similar species of grasses. The common names for these grasses include marram grass, bent grass, and beachgrass. These grasses ar ...
or muirineach on the island. He showed some skills playing music and singing, loved horses, but otherwise appeared to be a normal child of a poor crofting family. Although as a young child he was brought up in a Scots English-speaking community, on the island he soon became a fluent speaker of
Gaelic Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Ca ...
. MacPhee served with the
Lovat Scouts The Lovat Scouts was a British Army unit first formed during the Second Boer War as a Scottish Highland yeomanry regiment of the British Army. They were the first known military unit to wear a ghillie suit and in 1916 formally became the British ...
, and rode on horseback to join them at Beaufort Castle, where the horse was sold for £70. Angus was garrisoned in the
Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands ( ), or simply the Faroes ( fo, Føroyar ; da, Færøerne ), are a North Atlantic island group and an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. They are located north-northwest of Scotland, and about halfway bet ...
during World War II, where he became increasingly mentally ill. No one knew what caused this illness. He returned home on the croft, but he became mute, sullen and self-absorbed. His family noticed his animals became neglected, and soon he was moved to Larbert Asylum. He was diagnosed with
schizophrenia Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social withdra ...
in 1946, and spent much of the rest of his life in
Craig Dunain Hospital Craig Dunain Hospital was a mental health facility near Inverness in Scotland. The former hospital is a Category B listed building. History The hospital, which was designed by James Matthews, opened as the Inverness District Asylum in May 1864. ...
. He fell largely silent and according to Joyce Laing, an art therapist who came across MacPhee in the 1970s, he didn't speak for more than 50 years.Joyce Laing: Weaver of Grass.pub. Taigh Chearsabhagh Trust 2000. There is some uncertainty about how totally mute MacPhee actually was, and the first full biography of MacPhee, by Roger Hutchinson shows there was evidence that MacPhee spoke a little to a few close friends in Craig Dunain, in Gaelic. Whatever the case, the fact seems to be that he remained largely silent for 50 years. Described as 'the quiet big man', he was admitted to the farm ward of the hospital, Kinmylies House. There he tended the animals and worked on the lands. He was a steady and hard worker and had a particular affection for horses. During his free time, MacPhee wandered the hospital grounds in search of materials and created objects woven mostly from grass, sheep wool and beech leaves. He made garments, hats, caps, pouches, harnesses and the like, which he liked to hide under the bushes. He was completely silent as to their purpose. In the 1990s, as part of the movement to return psychiatric patients to the community, Angus was moved back to South Uist, and lived until his death in the Old People's Nursing Home in
Daliburgh Daliburgh ( gd, Dalabrog) is a crofting township on South Uist, in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. Daliburgh is situated west from Lochboisdale, has the second largest population of any township in South Uist, and is also in the parish of South ...
within an hours' drive of his remaining family. Joyce Laing recalls visiting him and showing him a photograph of a favourite horse. To her surprise Angus briefly spoke, commenting on the horse. She hoped that he might eventually reveal his story to her but within a short time he died.


Work and influence

Whilst an inmate of Craig Dunain he met Joyce Laing, an
art therapist Art therapy (not to be confused with ''arts therapy'', which includes other creative therapies such as drama therapy and music therapy) is a distinct discipline that incorporates creative methods of expression through visual art media. Art ther ...
. Under the influence of
Jean Dubuffet Jean Philippe Arthur Dubuffet (31 July 1901 – 12 May 1985) was a French Painting, painter and sculpture, sculptor. His idealistic approach to aesthetics embraced so-called "low art" and eschewed traditional standards of beauty in favor of what ...
and others, she was searching, with the playwright Tom McGrath, for ' Art Brut' artists. Laing was able to rescue a number of pieces of work by MacPhee which are now in the collection of the
Pittenweem Pittenweem ( ) is a fishing village and civil parish in Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 1,747. Etymology The name derives from Pictish and Scottish Gaelic. "Pit-" represents Pictish ''pett'' 'pl ...
'Art Extraordinary Gallery'. She wrote the book ''Angus McPhee: Weaver of Grass'' for an April 2000 exhibition for the
Taigh Chearsabhagh Taigh Chearsabhagh is an arts centre and museum in Lochmaddy on the island of North Uist, Scotland. Taigh Chearsabhagh was built in 1741 and originally used as an inn; it has since served as a post office, house and workshop before being develop ...
Art Trust in
Lochmaddy Lochmaddy ( gd, Loch nam Madadh, "Loch of the Hounds") is the administrative centre of North Uist in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. ''Na Madaidhean'' (the wolves/hounds) are rocks in the bay after which the loch, and subsequently the village, are ...
, and she continued to visit MacPhee until his death. He was said to have silently seen his works simply swept up with the autumn leaves whilst a resident in the hospital. In Roger Hutchinson's The Silent Weaver''' he develops a case for seeing MacPhee's weaving as a way of Angus finding his way back to a kind of health or mental equilibrium by creatively using traditional craft skills and developing them into a unique form of expression. In 1997 the Mackenzie Sisters included a self-written song '''A'fighe le feur' (Weaver of Grass)'' on their first album ''Camhanach'', inspired by the unusual story of Angus MacPhee. Sung in Gaelic the English translation of the opening is "Have you ever heard a stranger sound than Angus MacPhee knitting with grass?". In 2004
Donnie Munro Donnie Munro (Scottish Gaelic: Donaidh Rothach /dɔnɪ rɔhəx/) (born 2 August 1953) is a Scottish musician, and former lead singer of the band Runrig. A native speaker of Scots Gaelic, much of his work is in that language. Early life Munro ...
(ex-
Runrig Runrig were a Scottish Celtic rock band formed on the Isle of Skye in 1973. From its inception, the band's line-up included songwriters Rory Macdonald and Calum Macdonald. The line-up during most of the 1980s and 1990s (the band's most succe ...
) included his song '''Weaver of Grass''' inspired by the story of Angus MacPhee in his album Fields of the Young'''. In 2004, a documentary was made of his life by Nick Higgins: ''Hidden Gifts: The Mystery of Angus MacPhee'' (IMDB), which won the 2005 Britspotting award. This includes some home-movie footage of Angus back in Uist, towards the end of his life. ''The Silent Weaver'' by Roger Hutchinson was published in 2011, the fullest and best researched account yet of MacPhee's life and his place as an artist. His story has also been developed as a theatre production, called Angus – Weaver of Grass''', by
Horse and Bamboo Theatre Horse and Bamboo Theatre or Horse + Bamboo Theatre is a British theatre company founded in 1978 by Bob Frith. The company works using masks and visual, puppet, physical, music-based forms rather than text. It works internationally as well as from ...
which has toured extensively in the Highlands and Islands during the summers of 2012 and 2013, also appearing in London, Oxford and Lancashire. The Caithness fibre artist, Joanne B Kaar, has worked alongside Horse + Bamboo Theatre on their production, and directly with Joyce Laing. In the process she has rediscovered the techniques used by Angus McPhee and has recreated some of his garments both for the theatre production, for the collection in
Pittenweem Pittenweem ( ) is a fishing village and civil parish in Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 1,747. Etymology The name derives from Pictish and Scottish Gaelic. "Pit-" represents Pictish ''pett'' 'pl ...
, and for Scottish Museums. In 2011/2012 artist Mike Inglis incorporated textures and outfits directly influenced by the stories and artefacts of Angus into his 65-metre permanent Public Art wall installation in
Inverness Inverness (; from the gd, Inbhir Nis , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness"; sco, Innerness) is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands. Histori ...
. He is developing a new work entitled "''Chasing the Ghost of Angus McPhee''" supported by
Creative Scotland Creative Scotland ( gd, Alba Chruthachail ; sco, Creative Scotlan) is the development body for the arts and creative industries in Scotland. Based in Edinburgh, it is an executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government. The o ...
and
University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...
research grants which further develops themes surrounding Scottish identity and culture as well as his own obsession with Angus, and explains Joyce Laing's involvement, was presented at the European
Outsider Art Outsider art is art made by self-taught or supposedly naïve artists with typically little or no contact with the conventions of the art worlds. In many cases, their work is discovered only after their deaths. Often, outsider art illustrates e ...
Conference (2022).


References


The Weaver of Grass
biography, Weaver of Grass exhibition, Am Baile Gaelic village


External links




Weaver of Grass blog

Joanne B Kaar blog

Mike Inglis website
{{DEFAULTSORT:McPhee, Angus 1916 births 1997 deaths Scottish artists Outsider artists People with schizophrenia Outsider art British Army personnel of World War II People from Uist Lovat Scouts soldiers