Associates

Over the past decade The Glenfiddich Distillery has been quietly building a reputation, not just or being the home of the worlds most awarded single malt Scotch whisky,but also as the location for one of the most respected art residency programmes currently on offer.

Whisky and art may seem a strange combination but after all whisky itself is a sensual, esoteric pleasure. The method of its production is a subject that can be explained scientifically yet remains an art. Across the industry there is an understanding which values the importance of dedication to ones craft, and knows that special things take time to develop. In many ways the qualities required to make good art and good whisky are not dissimilar.

Since it’s launch in 2002 the Glenfiddich Artists in Residence programme has hosted almost seventy artists and to reflect the global status of Glenfiddich, they have come from twenty six different countries all around the world. Although the programme is partly philanthropic in nature – being fully funded by William Grant and Sons, the owners of Glenfiddich – there is also a built in brand focus. However, the programme aims to be non prescriptive in its approach, simply encouraging artists to create works that fully reflect the opportunities that the Glenfiddich experience can offer. Inspiration can be taken from the distilleries location and its family heritage to the community and environment that surrounds it. Equally, the brand itself – including the wider cultural significance whisky holds - and processes the spirit undergoes during production are also all valid areas for artist examination.

Artists are invited to spend up to three months in residence to ensure they have adequate time to observe, absorb, reflect and create. Some artists choose to stay even longer! This period allows a sense of community to be built up between the artists over the months while the programme is underway, reinforcing the idea of an artist’s village - a term first employed by Taiwanese artist Chen Hui-chiao as a descriptor of her experiences in residence during 2005. Removed from their normal (often urban based) surroundings to the remote wildness of the Scottish Highlands, it is important that the artists participating have a social support group of their peers. The interactions that occur between the artists are in themselves often as interesting as the work they go on to produce.

Relationships are after all naturally at the heart of whisky, and even more so given the still independent family ownership of Glenfiddich, which has contributed to making it the best selling and most awarded Single Malt Scotch Whisky in the world. In India, Glenfiddich has mirrored its global sentiment for the arts through support of local artists like Valay Shende and Anirban Mitra who participated in the Artist in Residence program, and JJ Valaya, one of India’s leading couturiers, whose debut series of fine art photographs was launched and showcased by Glenfiddich.

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