ALISON WATT, who made a name for herself painting intriguingly folded fabrics, has unveiled her first large installation, created to be shown in the memorial chapel of an Edinburgh church. Ruth Hedges investigates.
alking along undcr \\'a\'crlcy Bridgc in
lidinburgh a blustcry wind blows dust and
grit in my cycs: thc hcaying and roaring ol‘ buscs aboyc grinds in my cars and an acrid smcll of pigcon shit wal‘ts ol‘l‘ thc paycmcnt. lt's thc kind of trudgc through the city that l'orccs your shouldcrs up. narrows your cycs and puts a hurry in thc stcp.
Just round thc corncr a dingy littlc door signals thc arrival at my dcstination. Old St Paul's. a shabby looking church that you could casily walk past a hundrcd timcs and ncycr noticc. is housing a ncw work by Alison Watt. 'l‘hc young paintcr who cntranccd critics and \‘icwcrs with hcr largc-scalc paintings ol' crumplcd shccts scnsual in thcir cyocation ol' matcrial tcxturcs and suggcstiyc in thcir implications ol‘ l’cmalc gcnitalia has crcatcd a massch l‘our-pancl painting for thc mcmorial chapcl. It‘s not. pcrhaps. what you‘d cxpcct a church to