Kate Whiteford Airfield

Kate Whiteford’s work brings together the history and geography of chosen sites which she encapsulates by drawing directly onto the landscape.

At Compton Verney, Whiteford made reference to the historical vistas created by ‘Capability’ Brown, the most eminent landscape architect of the eighteenth-century, combining the creation of his sight-lines with the notion of an airport runway.

In her work Whiteford developed an interest in the relationship between landscape and history and was inspired by Brown’s spatial understanding and ability to manipulate sightlines in order to create narratives. His vistas were constructed to be seen in succession rather than entirety, which led to Whiteford’s use of aerial reconnaissance in the development of the project. Airfield 2007 explores signs and markings invisible at ground level, but revealed from the air. Whiteford’s project, whilst mirroring the transformative powers of Brown’s vistas, alludes to a more contemporary experience of locality through the development of flight and aerial perspective. Aerial reconnaissance techniques are used by archaeologists of aerial bombardment, and Compton Verney’s wartime use as a requisitioned base for secret army camouflage research and crashed aircraft landing provided the inspiration for Airfield 2007, resulting in this multi layered fictional archaeological project.

Airfield was experienced from a variety of viewpoints both within the landscape and inside the gallery looking out. There was also a contextual exhibition on the development of this project, alongside a display of Whiteford’s earlier work and two site specific wall drawings.

Whiteford’s previous projects include Sitelines, Harewood; a land drawing at Harewood House, Yorkshire (2000), and Archaeological Shadows at Mount Stuart, Isle of Bute (2001). Her work is represented in collections including Tate, the British Council, the Arts Council of England, and the Scottish Museum of Modern Art.

A publication of her work, with essays by the writer and critic Richard Cork and Professor Colin Renfrew was published by Black Dog Publishing to coincide with the launch of Airfield 2007 at Compton Verney.