Uisge-Aqua

Uisge-Aqua is a creative project by Alessandra Campoli about watery dreamscapes - landscapes in the Scottish Highlands. The subtitle - If You Stare at Me in the Light I will Melt into a Puddle - refers to the legend of Asharys, translucent nocturnal water creatures that were believed to melt if exposed to sunlight. Combining research into local folktales and old legends about mythical creatures living in seas, lochs and rivers with alternative photographic techniques, digital collages and site-specific installations, Uisge-Aqua aims at being a creative and visual exploration of the Scottish waterscapes and their mythical heritage.

Alessandra Campoli is a visual artist, researcher and academic tutor from Italy and has made a home in the Scottish Highlands. She studied at the University of Rome “La Sapienza” where she obtained an MA in Art History and a postgraduate diploma in Art Management Psychology. In 2012 she was awarded a practice-based PhD in Visual Cultures by the University of the West of Scotland. She currently works as a tutor in art and design and module leader for Critical and Cultural Studies at the Interactive Design Institute (Edinburgh). Her artworks comprise alternative photography, digital collage, site-specific installation and performance. At the origin of her creative practice is research into myths and ancestral legends, invisible geographies, memories and haunted landscapes.