Disappearing Life

Disappearing Life aims to show the decline of crofting, a system of landholding unique to Scotland that has been an integral part of economic life in the Highlands and Islands for 250 years.   

To visually achieve my aim, I have captured abandonment and decay, because my research concluded that these are the prominent themes of crofting history. Furthermore, the number of empty crofts continues to increase because people are not taking up their inheritance, often leaving the Highlands and Islands for higher education or work. Today, abandoned crofts and croft homes stand as silent witnesses to lives gone by.

These images of abandoned homes underline that unless action is taken they will be absorbed back into the landscape to eventually disappear. And while the poignant images of left-behind possessions in decaying rooms evoke feelings of curiosity and sadness, they are a reminder that the history of crofting is principally about the lives of people and their families.