This collection is associated with stories of the St Kilda
Mailboat - islanders on this remote archipelago would send a
letter in a sealed tin placed within a wooden box, attached
to a sheep bladder float. The box and float would be hurled
into the sea on a favourable current in an attempt to reach
the mainland and the regular mail service. This curious
method of communication has been adopted by others,
including tourists who came to St Kilda in steamers in the
early 1900s. This new collection does not compress the idea
into a novelty, but rather, add another layer. These
souvenirs are tasked with an action and encourage
duplication - each one combines both an island narrative and
the visit of an individual maker. These small vessels were
sent into the unknown, into the surrounding seas that are
slow, inviting and incubating.
Book Mailboat (late 1950s)
Slatted raft and carved wooden book with detachable spine,
connected to a hollow ‘rocket’ float - holding a first
edition copy of Compton Mackenzie’s book ‘Rockets Galore’
within. Believed to be sent by a Douglas M. and Maggie G.,
visitors to South Uist from Glasgow.
The mailboat is one of five believed to have been posted
from the shore at Ushenish Lighthouse - this one was found
in Kentra Bay, on the Ardnamurchan peninsular. The exact
reason for the mailings are unknown, but current speculation
makes a link with either the direct protest events at the
proposed missile range in South Uist, the publication of
Compton Mackenzie’s book, or the release of the comedy film
based on the same novel. Due to the slow delivery time of a
mailboat it is unclear whether the boat was ‘posted’ in 1957
or 1958.
Cloud Mailboat (mid 1950s)
A carved wooden boat with detachable white elm burr cloud
(with air cavity), connected to a small ballcock float -
holding a rubber Russian toy monkey within. Believed to be
sent from a passing Russian trawler as a form of Cold War
jest.
The sea mailing point is unknown, but it was found by a Mr
R. McNeill at a beach on the west of Lewis. It is believed
the mailboat was sent as a comment on the Operation Cauldron
warfare trials carried out off the east coast of Tolsta Bay
in 1952. These secret Ministry of Defence experiments
released a mist of poison gases over monkeys and guinea pigs
lined up in cages on a floating pontoon a short distance
from the shoreline. It is difficult to keep a secret on an
island, but it is curious to think that whispers drifted out
on a westerly wind, only to be returned via the Barents Sea
by the hand of a Soviet fisherman.
Submarine Mailboat (about 1918)
A wooden submarine with detachable top entry deck, connected
to a toffee tin float (possibly one of two tins) - holding a
hand drawn poster within. Believed to be sent by a young
German naval officer as a propaganda message to the Scottish
mainland.
This mailboat was handed in to a police constable in
Torrisdale, Sutherland, and is believed to have been
‘posted’ from North Rona - stories at the time recount
German U- boats stopping at the island to shoot sheep for
on-board consumption during long Atlantic voyages.
There may also be a link to shared on-board stories of the
U-90 shelling the Hirta wireless station on St Kilda in May
1918.
Mailboats dried and restored at the Silverdale Trust
made by Chris Biddlecombe
Chris is an artist based in Glasgow, Scotland, with a
history of making work in the form of site specific
interventions using a variety of techniques that create
ambiguous dialogues with the viewer using cultural,
historical or social references. His mixed media
installations have been exhibited in the UK and
internationally, encouraging genuine collaborations with
architects, engineers, museum curators, writers, performers
and other creative makers.
