Collaborations and commissions
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The Last Supper - a 12 foot long commissioned oil on canvas
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Still Dreaming of Jerusalem - a cross media, string quartet, ambient sound, film and photography collaboration
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Research Distillation Realisation - commissioned installation at the Royal Scottish Academy of Fine Art and Architecture​
The Last Supper
After more than fourteen months in the making, the new "Last Supper" was unveiled on 4 March 2012. When fire destroyed the first spectacular fourteen foot oil painting in 2009 (commissioned by Langside Parish Church for "1999 Year of Architecture and Design") it had just passed its 10th birthday. The new "Last Supper" is a visually rich, yet restrained and evocative picture. There is much to see and take in, and perhaps it needs repeated viewings to even begin to notice some of the attention to detail that Duffin has applied to the task. This is a painting that ought to both impress and provoke. It is a work of art that won't sit quietly in its own allocated space. It is one that asks to be questioned. Tell us if we are wrong!" (PRESS RELEASE)
Still Dreaming of Jerusalem. A "beautifully haunting" cross-media collaboration
Watch and listen...click play
In 1998 Scots composer Malcolm Lindsay asked me to record the sights and sounds of the city of Jerusalem on my return for a possible collaboration. Inspired by what I had captured, he then composed a work for string quartet incorporating some of the audio recordings that I brought back. The music was then combined with the photography by our co-collaborator Melanie Sims as a cross media audio-visual. Then in 2010, Malcolm re-scored the music for a full string orchestra, recording an new version in the Czech Republic with the Brno Philharmonic. It was this version of the music that prompted me to return to Jerusalem in 2012 and 2013 with the aim of expanding on the visual imagery, reflecting both my deeper appreciation, and further questioning of the complexities and paradoxes that make up the city of Jerusalem. The new audio visual collaboration was then realised through thoughtful interpretation, visual choreography and editing by Melanie. However it is still the original string quartet version of the music that I personally identify with my experiences in Jerusalem So, in 2023 I decided to recut and remix the new visual elements for use with the original string quartet version. This is the version that you will see here. Photography, film, audio sampling and art imagery - Stuart Duffin Music - Malcolm Lindsay, performed by Mr McFalls Chamber Visual choreography and editing - Melanie Sims/Stuart Duffin Running time 09:32 minutes
Research Distillation Realisation
Towards the end of 2010 Victoria Crowe RSA, the Convener for the up-coming 2011 Royal Scottish Academy Annual exhibition invited me to contribute to the exhibition with the aim of giving the viewing public an insight into the artist's sources of inspiration and working methods. With this in mind I recreated my studio wall in the gallery. This starts at the left hand side with material such as texts, photographs (some of mine and some from various magazines or newspapers), a panoramic view of Jerusalem I photographed from the roof of the Jerusalem Print Workshop in 1996 alongside the "silent hands" drawings. This grows into the middle part of the wall with working drawings and printmaking proofs containing scribbled notes on development finally showing two finished, framed works on the right. Complementing this I included two cross media works for string quartet, photography and ambient sound titled "Dreaming of Jerusalem" and "Grace Notes" (presented on screen via DVD) made in collaboration with composer Malcolm Lindsay and photographer Melanie Sim. Personal objects and research material was also presented in a display case as my studio, and subsequently my artwork, contains much in the way of found or collected objects.