A Perth artist and illustrator has opened a new interactive exhibition at Perth Concert Hall, celebrating the River Tay and local culture.
Louise Robertson, who writes and illustrates children’s books of her characters the Fat Coo, Little Moo and the Bairns has transposed her bovine protagonists onto the walls of the concert hall in a series of murals.
The artwork explores Perthshire heritage, while also doubling as a children’s treasure trail with maps and colouring books to complement the work.
Louise said: “The project itself is a reflection on Scottish culture.
“We’ve got the River Tay and Pictish stones, which I think are often missed, to celebrate the beauty and culture of Perthshire.
“Living in Perth and having this up to celebrate and promote Perthshire is amazing.
“It’s interactive and it’s quite quirky and I think it’s important. The piece is designed to be interactive and there will be more pieces to come.”
Louise’s character, the Fat Coo, is also important as the Highland cow represents the reversal of an insult which is levelled at women.
She said: “The character is very positive, the Fat Coo feels very good about herself.
“It’s a twist on the insult that is regularly used against women. She’s confident and happy within herself as an individual.”
Louise’s artwork builds on the pieces by Perth’s poet Jim Mackintosh whose words are also written across the walls of the concert hall.
Iliyana Nedkova, creative director for contemporary art for Horsecross Arts, said: “We couldn’t be more delighted to work with Perth-based author and illustrator Louise Robertson. Louise’s preferred mode of engagement was to respond to selected works from our diverse art collection through a dozen or so site-specific, large-scale wall murals and a series of mindful colour-in sheets.
“Louise’s much-loved yet poignant cartoon characters Fat Coo, Little Moo and the Bairns have thus escaped the confines of the book pages to start new conversations with award-winning artist’s moving image works and exclusive limited edition prints or neon light art installations from our collection.”
The exhibition can be seen in Perth Concert Hall’s Threshold artspace until March 5.
