Ciorstaidh is a visual artist from the Highlands of Scotland primarily working within the disciplines of analogue photography, printmaking, and video. Drawing inspiration from surrealist cinema and Scottish folklore, her auto-fictional approach utilises the expansive nature of the medium of film; from an investigatory tool to its ability to fabricate narratives, piecing together scenes from both memory and constructed realities. Inviting you to explore landscapes which shift from familiarity to ambiguity and contemplate the undefined place between the subconscious mind and somatic memory.

See Ciorstaidh’s work as part of our annual winter open call exhibition, TRACES, showcasing works inspired by the marks that we leave in our wake: footprints in the snow, the enduring warmth of an embrace, the hollow left in the seat of your favourite armchair.

Hi Ciorstaidh! Can you tell us how you typically approach your creative process from initial inspiration to the completion of your artwork?
Growing up in the Scottish Highlands, I have always been deeply interested in Scottish folklore. I find my work always tends to have roots there. Whenever I’ve got a case of artist’s block, it’s what I tend to go back to, whether it’s taking inspiration from local legends or having the landscape feature literally as a shooting location. At the beginning of a project, I do a lot of reading, looking at archival content, watching films and listening to podcasts. However, I think there gets to a point where I just have to force myself to start making even if it seems to have no direction, otherwise I will end up reading/researching continuously and never really start something.  In addition to this, I think getting out, interacting with the environment and having a change of scenery can spur a lot on, but even when this isn’t possible, I still try and do some preliminary shots or experiment with different camera techniques in the confines of my flat to keep the momentum going. I realised I’m quite a practice-based person, and the work starts to grow when I just make and then reflect on it later. Talking with someone about the early stages of a project really helps too, as I find otherwise I just have a lot of ideas and thoughts in my head that I have to sift through and verbalising it helps me make sense of it all!  

Retracing my steps helps to ground me as well. I look back on past ideas which have been abandoned because I was so carried away with something else I never fully explored an idea, but it means I can revisit things when I’m unsure in which direction to go. I’ve experienced the importance of this since I started working with sound. If I hear an interesting sound while out and about, I’ll record it for later, and now phone is now full of voice memos that I might use for a project one day.

Are there specific advantages or challenges associated with working in your chosen mediums? Have you experimented with other mediums or techniques?
I’ve been considering the sustainability of photographic practices and traditional darkroom chemistry, and it has opened up avenues for experimenting with different printing techniques and making plant-based developers. All of the results are so unexpected and unique, and I can see myself bringing this to the forefront of my photographic practice. I’ve already tried developers made from seaweed and coffee, I plan to try harvesting some materials from the sites where I’m shooting as a way to connect it to that location.

With sound, I love the multisensory aspect to it, how the soundtrack or ambient noise can immerse you within an installation or inform the viewing experience of works within a space. Similar to moving image, it can manipulate your perception of time and pacing, as well as having the usual digital advantages of accessibility and replicability. However, there are always the laborious and inevitable technical difficulties which arise during installation!

As much as I love working with lens-based media, my last few projects have been video pieces, which involved a lot of editing/screen-based work. I sometimes find myself wanting to be more hands-on with materials and tactile processes. I love working with fabric, as I’ve done for the piece included in the exhibition, for this reason. You can combine photographic imagery with the textural and fluid qualities of the material.  I recently had a residency at The Hunter Saville Gallery in the spring, and during that time there, I got back into drawing, tried lino printing for the first time and made plans to try etching next. I can see these media featuring in my next project and becoming a bigger part of my practice as a whole.

Can you elaborate on the significance or symbolism of the chosen title of your work?
This series of work explores the coastline as a place of continuous movement. Subtle traces of human presence bleed into their shifting surroundings, creating a strange and liminal space which is immersive in its ambiguity. I landed on From The Tidal Pool,  as tidal pools form when the ocean recedes, it creates these individual ecosystems within the rocks, a moment of stillness, only to be inevitably merged with the waves at the next high tide, representing this endless motion.

How has your practice changed over time?
I have worked with analogue photography since attending a black-and-white film development workshop during the second year of my undergraduate course. With film in particular, I was drawn to the medium’s experimental (if not temperamental!) nature. In addition to this, its physicality allows for endless opportunities for manipulation and discovering new alternative processes. I expected analogue photography to remain my primary medium when I began my Masters. While I had previously created small stop-motion videos with still photographs, I had never worked with the moving image or sound. I wanted to challenge myself and experience a new medium. I could have never anticipated how video would reshape my entire practice and approach to making work; from utilising video ‘sketches’ as a form of research, to exploring the role sound can play in informing or disrupting the interpretation of imagery. Having said that, photography will always be a cornerstone of my practice and something I do in tandem with other mediums.  With this series, I played around with different techniques such as putting vaseline on the lens of the camera to blur the images, leaving just enough information for the audience to decipher the hidden forms.  I would also say I used to get quite stressed about there being a coherent plot to any of the films I made or a clear narrative to a series of photos, but now I realise I thrive when I don’t focus on that and more so on the atmosphere created.

Which artists inspire you? Are there non-artistic influences such as literature or music that impact your work?
Artists like Francesca Woodman and Duane Michals will always be cornerstones to my practice, as they were the artists whose work I discovered when I first got into photography at art school. I also feel this way about La Gette (1963) by Chris Marker, as the film continues to inspire me to this day. I think I was drawn to how these artists works manipulate your sense of time and blur the line between moving image and photography. 

I’ve also taken a lot of inspiration from artists who work with installation and performance like Joan Jonas and Pippilotti Rist. It’s made me want to be more ambitious with my scale and how different pieces interact within a space you create.  I’ve recently find myself looking at artists such as Jess Holdengarde, Lorna Macintyre, Billy Kenrick and Tamara Dean. I love how their series includes the merger of photographic imagery and sculpture, and how the natural world features in the work through materials, alternative processes, and themes of ecology.

I think for non-artistic inspiration I’ve always loved gothic fiction with the works of Shirley Jackson and The Yellow Wall Paper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman being some of my favourites. I think what these two authors specifically do so well is give the reader just enough information, but never a full explanation of what is unfolding, leaving it up to your interpretation and creating this atmosphere of unease.

Will your next project be a continuation of your current style or are you experimenting with something different? Can you share a glimpse of your next project?
I’m currently working on a new project which will feature a short film, soundtrack, and photography. With the latter, what form this shall take is still very open as it’s early stages. As I previously mentioned, I’ve also been trying some new printmaking processes, and I also love the idea of having a sculptural aspect to the installation, potentially some props from the film. With the imagery, I take a lot of inspiration from surrealist art and cinema, where the transition from colour to black-and-white often signifies a shift to a different reality, as we associate scenes in black-and-white with those portraying an element of the subconscious, such as flashbacks or dream sequences. It’s always felt natural for me to work in black and white, but who knows, maybe I’ll feel the pull towards colour as the work progresses! With regards to the content of the work, I’ve been looking into themes of transformation and the self, and exploring how folktales are retold in modern contexts. 

As for how I approach making work, I tend to work very independently, using timed shots with myself usually within the frame. For my next project, I would like to take more of a directorial role, which would mean more future planning and scheduling, and for someone who works very intuitively, would be quite new for me. With this in mind, I would also like to challenge myself to work more often in collaboration with others. It’s something that is more out of my comfort zone, so if anything, that’s probably a sign I should give it a go! I’ve always loved reading; however, writing is something I struggle with, so I would love to include text within a project, perhaps with the help of another creative.

Connect with Ciorstaidh over on Instagram and see her work in TRACES running at SFG until January 9th 2026.