Jenni Gudgeon

I am a photographic artist creating one off art works by etching (scratching) pictures into the photographic emulsion. ,I am running a cultural exchange project inspired by the longstanding partnership between Scotland and Malawi. Ordinary adults and children in both countries will attend workshops to etch what they love about living in their country onto photographs that were taken in the other country (Malawians etch onto Scottish photos and Scottish etch onto Malawian photos). I will take the base photos, and they will portray what excites me visually about each country.,The project will culminate in an exhibition of the best pictures from each country which will be exhibited in both Scotland and Malawi. This will give people in both countries the opportunity to see the work on display, and take pride in the partnership.,The project came about because my husband travels to Blantyre twice a year with his work (he is part of a six person team from St Andrew University who fly out to Blantyre regularly as part of the Scottish Governments partnership scheme). As a local cub leader, he linked his scout group with a scout group in Blantyre. This relationship inspired me to want to create an art project between the two communities.