Helen Balfour: Grytviken Micro-Commission
A Journey from the South Atlantic to the Toogs Artist Workshop.
We are delighted to announce a unique micro-commission with Shetland artist Helen Balfour, whose creative journey began in one of the most remote places on earth: Grytviken, South Georgia. While initially, the commission aimed to support Helen's art practice through sending materials to South Georgia, logistical challenges and the demands of her role as a Curatorial Assistant at the South Georgia Museum led us to adapt the project.
Grytviken, once a whaling station that employed many Shetlanders, including Helen’s grandfather, is a place steeped in history and isolation. Though the whaling days ended in 1966, Helen found herself deeply connected to the landscape, the wildlife, and the legacy of the place during her six-month stay. Her experience of this otherworldly environment, captured through photographs, stories, and artistic reflections, has since evolved into something even more intimate and collaborative.
Rather than sending materials to the far-flung island, we invited Helen to join us at the Toogs Artist Workshop, where we’ve spent the past month developing her project. Together, we are transforming her insights—photographs, collages, and drawings—into a book that captures the essence of her time in South Georgia.
With inspiration drawn from the Island Zine Library, we've created a dummy copy of the book, which is now slowly taking shape. The process has been as exciting as the final result promises to be, and we look forward to sharing this artistic journey with you.
“Working with Gaada for the past month has provided me with space to reflect and explore my feelings about South Georgia. Allowing me to revisit my time there - with a creative focus. It was great to have space in the workshop to spread out and be creative with the photographs that I took whilst there. It as so much fun to explore new techniques and experiment at the Toogs Artist Workshop.”
Helen Balfour
Exploring the landscape of Grytviken
Exploring RISO at the Toogs Artist Workshop