‘Chased, Chopped, Stabbed and Blasted’ is not, as one might expect, a particularly gruesome and grisly offering straight from the Edinburgh Dungeon.  In fact, quite at odds with the graphic violence insinuated in the title, this exhibition, organised by the Scottish Lettercutters Association, couldn’t be more tranquil, contemplative, some might even say spiritual.

The title of the exhibition in fact describes the processes involved in the evolution of the works on display – exhibits bearing words, passages and thoughts and ranging from beautifully nuanced wall mounted glass to classical tablets in seductive Portland limestone, to robust standing (sand)stone sculptures.  The exhibition takes place in the main salon of a residence in Edinburgh’s Royal Terrace and continues into its stepped and layered garden on the slopes of Calton Hill.  In its mounting and presentation, the exhibition is as meticulously realised as the letters cut into the featured works.

The Scottish Lettercutters Association was established in 2001 when a group of lettercutters in stone came together to study and improve their skills, through courses run by the national commissioning body ‘Memorials by Artists’.  The exhibition is especially significant as it’s not only the official launch of the SLA but it is also the first show of its kind to be held in Scotland.  And judging by the works on display – and the amount of red dots on the price list - the opportunity to clearly signpost its arrival on the crafts map of Scotland has certainly not been missed. 

The exhibition’s arrival is also timely, for after the cacophony of the Edinburgh Festival, to find yourself in what could almost be described as a garden of contemplation at the rear of one of Edinburgh’s most majestic terraces, is a welcome chilled out alternative to say the least.  And contrary to what one might think, these stone inscriptions, mounted as they are in a hidden garden of rich foliage, wildflowers and shading apple trees, do not suggest a sense of memorial or some sort of decadent reminder – on the contrary, this garden is as affirming as they come.

In fact, perhaps the comparison that first springs to mind is artist and poet Ian Hamilton Finlay’s homage to Arcadia in the form of his ‘Little Sparta’ garden in Dunsyre - which is high praise indeed.  Ian Newton’s Sandstone micro monolith declaring “I want to do with you what Spring does to the cherry trees”, from a poem by Pablo Neruda, is strong and affecting; and elsewhere Gillian Forbes’ “What a Lovely Moon”, an Easdale slate maquette for the Scottish Parliament and Orcadian Frances Pelly’s Hopton Wood Limestone piece ‘Have Much and Be Confused’ are wistful and even playful. 

In the main salon the rich array of textures and texts offers something of a master class into the possibilities of lettercutting.  These range from Roger Hall’s charred oak, cherry, elm and yew pieces and Robbie Schneider’s ‘Graffiti’ in marble to Jane Raven’s sculptures in glass and slate and Alex Holmes’ ‘Omnis Creatura’ and ‘Arma Virumque’ tablets in sumptuous Portland limestone.  Perhaps the strongest statement comes in the form of Ian Evans-Boiten’s ‘David’ and ‘Bathsheba’ sculptural busts, which offer an intriguing contemporary take on biblical subjects.

The Scottish Lettercutters Association may be a fledgling collective, but on the strength of the work exhibited at Number Ten, their achievements are already extraordinarily accomplished, and I’d say enduring.  As Jane Raven’s witty and iconoclastic row of pinned slate tiles proclaims “there are plenty of ruined buildings in the world but no ruined stones”. 

‘Chased, Chopped, Stabbed and Blasted’ an exhibition of hand-cut lettering in stone, wood and glass by The Scottish Lettercutters Association (SLA) is currently on at “Number Ten, The Gallery”, 10 Royal Terrace, Edinburgh until 30 September 2004.  Opening hours Monday to Saturday 10am to 4pm.  Admission free. 

The Scottish Lettercutters Association can be contacted at 6 Dean Terrace, Edinburgh, EH4 1ND.  Tel: 0131 466 5194.