'What I thought was very interesting is that before the Gunnister Man exhibition was brought to Shetland, his purse, and specifically the red patterned knitting in it, was quite a symbol of him, especially for Shetland. But now that everyone has seen all of his clothing and belongings, it's clear there is so much more to his being, his history, his last days, his identity and this is what struck me when I first saw all of the clothing in Edinburgh. It was quite interesting to me that none of the artists focused on the red peerie patterns in the purse, and only one  on the purse itself. Instead, there was much about being lost, of trying to find one's way, and of the peat, which is such a potent symbol of so many parts of Shetland. One small thing I noticed was that Andrea Williamson's knitted stocking inside the felt boot had what looked like small Norwegian flags in the pattern -- a pointer toward his identity and origins?  There is so much here that I will be thinking about your work for some time to come!

 Dr Carol A Christianson
'Curator/Community Museums Officer
Shetland Museum & Archives

'i grew up aware of the gunnisterman and i always did find the story inspiring. when the news came that the gunnistermans possessions were coming back to Shetland for exhibit, shetland arts were invited by Shetland  museum and archives to contribute to the event with something contemporary. this provided an opportunity to have a new take on heritage product and a time to challenge local craft makers to work in an area/method they didnt normally use. it was based on looking at the research,having group discussions and a chance to have theories of who the gunnisterman was, why he was carrying what he was carrying,what he might need to have in order to survive if in fact 'gunnisterman' was a man or woman and all the thoughts that a creative group might have. for the shetland makers it is a chance to work away from their normal routine from making product for selling. the work on exhibit is just the beginning and the makers will go on to develop the work'

hazel hughson shetland arts 
taken from audio by mary blance

gman images are gradually being loaded onto flickr.

more information on individual artists to come soon.

a small preview of some of the work:
more to come on the gman..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
shetland organic wool, felt, resin, linen, tweed, ribbon, zebrano wood, peat, coins , nylon


gman@shetland museum
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sat nav sock

silk, wool, shetland wool.glow in dark thread

over the next few days i will be adding the images and information on the artists who have been involved in making for the gman project

jennifer tait,donna smith, emma blain, claire henry,
cecil tait, hilary seatter, suzanne shearer, anne eunson, andrea williamson, shona millar, jono sandilands, mary blance

In preparation for the Gman project installation in the museum tomorrow we have been listening to the beautiful voices of shetland makers speaking of the process of making products for the gman contemporary craft project.

intervewed by mary blance , shetland author , broadcaster and cultural activist 10 artists speak of their process and of who they think the gman is

• a travelling boy?


• a gentleman?


• woman?


• pirate ?


• tax collector ?


• a clothes theif?


• a sailor ?
• a merchant?


• or does it matter who he is ? should we let him lie?

glow in the dark darning

foot of the sock different to the top of the sock ?

heavily mended socks

'one sock has the foot replaced by the leg of another stocking'

'feet of the socks are worn away and have been replaced by another material.. there are holes at the knees, some roughly mended

......no foot to the stocking ...'

lap = (n) a patch , a covering put on for the purpose of mending, as on a shoe or the board of a boat etc

safe socks

socks with toes that glow in the dark