An Inverness-based sculptor has taken inspiration from the rugged landscapes of the Glenmazeran Estate near Tomatin to create a striking new artwork now on display in the heart of London.
Artist Shaun Fraser recently unveiled Seeking Shelter, a bronze sculpture formed from three separate casts taken from the stonework of a long-abandoned building in Glenmazeran.
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The piece now stands over 500 miles away at Aird House, located on Inverness Terrace in central London.
Mr Fraser, whose practice is rooted in a deep connection to place and memory, said the work explores ideas of identity, shelter and belonging – themes which echo both the Highland setting that inspired the sculpture and its new location.
The casts were made using impressions taken directly from the weathered walls of the old dwelling on the Glenmazeran Estate, nestled above the banks of Loch Ness.
The site, steeped in the history and character of the Highlands, offered the perfect texture and tone for the work, representing the “coming together of different times, different textures and rich visual qualities”.
A graduate of Edinburgh College of Art and the Royal College of Art in London, Mr Fraser has exhibited internationally and has received multiple awards for his practice.
Most recently, in June, he was named as Scottish Labour’s candidate for Inverness and Nairn in the 2026 Holyrood campaign.
His work often draws on the cultural and material heritage of the Highlands, using traditional casting techniques to explore contemporary ideas.
The decision to install Seeking Shelter at Aird House was in part inspired by the building’s name and its address on Inverness Terrace, a subtle nod to Mr Fraser’s roots and the artwork’s northern origin.
“The notion behind this artwork is the overarching theme of place and provenance,” he explains. “The installation grapples with suggestions of domicile, home, ownership and belonging.
“The works were fabricated locally with the bronze casting process taking place at Black Isle Bronze based in Nairn, and the casts have now been placed on public display at Aird House on Inverness Terrace in Westminster.
“This bronze artwork establishes a lasting link between these two locations, the rural and the urban, the north and the south, separated by 550 miles.
“It presents a contemplation on the preciousness of home, the concept of belonging and the relationship between the old and the new as the 19th century rubble impressions contrast with the contemporary structure of Aird House.
“It marks the coming together of different times, different textures and rich visual qualities.
“My art often draws from landscape and notions of identity, I’ve tried to tap into this sensibility again with ‘Seeking Shelter’ presenting a work which is sensitive to its Highland heritage and candid within a modern context.”
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