Monument Game
The Monument Game is a deep map that investigates aspects of the biocultural heritage of the Outer Hebrides, through the riddle of how a Monkey Puzzle (Araucaria Araucana) came to be planted on a small island in Loch an Eilean, Askernish, South Uist at the time of the Highland Clearances. The text exposes the long term effects of the Clearances that still resonate in the land.
Monument Game, 2017, comprises of a set of 56-playing cards, presenting botanical photographs taken during a field research trip to the island, and a fragmented text that can be engaged with as lyrical passages or as an unfolding narrative.
Participants are invited to use the cards to play 'Go Fish'. Following the revised rules of the game, the text is read out aloud to fellow players. The cards introduce layers of historical, cultural and visual information that the participants encounter together as they proceed through the game.
The game rules demand that players read out their card before asking for another and so the narrative is gradually disclosed. As play progresses a temporary community is created around the table where strategies, hilarity and cheating ensue, and a growing connection with the unfolding story develops.
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The goal is to generate a convivial, shared experience to open up to new audiences the subjects of the Highland Clearances, colonialism, and the impact of exotic botany on local ecosystems.
