Mythic Instruments: Emma Hislop

Presented by Edinburgh Science Festival, The University of Edinburgh, Summerhall and ASCUS Art & Science, in partnership with Edinburgh Futures Institute as part of FUTUREPROOF.

Mythic Instruments is an immersive exploration that delves into the intersections of science, craft, mysticism, and culture. It reflects on our ecological crisis, detachment from the land, and erosion of traditional knowledge. Through a rip in time, catch a glimpse of the fossils of the future.

The Lab Gallery at Summerhall presents artworks as relics amidst an arid landscape. Fossilised aluminium reliefs and intricately woven tubing hint at a primordial life force weaving through the fabric of time, uniting past, present, and future in an elaborate tapestry of creation and legacy.

These works serve as windows into the evolution of materials, shedding light on both the losses incurred and the innovations achieved. Hislop’s investigation traces the journey from ancient tools to modern scientific glassware, echoing the complex apparatuses of historical alchemists.

The exhibition beckons viewers to embark on a transcendent odyssey through time, where the boundaries between science and spirituality dissolve, and the echoes of ancient wisdom resonate with newfound relevance, inviting discovery and rediscovery alike.