Visitors to a Highland supermarket are in for a surprise – as it’s being transformed into a cultural venue.
A new photography gallery is about to open on 1 December. Just in time for Christmas, Eleven41 Gallery will create a hub for lovers of photography and the Scottish outdoors, whilst providing a place where locals can admire stunning works of art.
The former Co-op supermarket in the town of Kingussie, near Aviemore has been converted into a gallery dedicated to mountaineering and Scottish
landscape photography.
Stac Pollaidh (Photo: Ed Smith)
The owner of the gallery, Ed Smith, lives with his partner Emily above the old Co-op and has overseen an extensive refit since the store closed three
years ago, after first opening on the High Street in the 1930s.
Where supermarket aisles used to stand, there is now a spacious, contemporary gallery and photography studio where Ed, a professional photographer, can work.
Mellon Udrigle (Photo: Ed Smith)
For visitors who’d like to stop awhile to enjoy the artworks, the old shop tills have been swapped for soft sofas and a newly instated wood burning stove within the original 130 year-old fireplace that was discovered during the refit.
Ed said: ‘The idea was to create something all under one roof. All the images on display in the gallery are printed, mounted and framed in-house, then hung so they can really be appreciated properly.
‘Landscape and adventure photos are posted regularly on Facebook and social media but it’s nothing like seeing an image on high quality paper, with enough space to really admire the scale and detail.’
Lairig Ghru (Photo: Ed Smith)
The gallery is a chance for Ed to combine two of his passions; adventure sport photography and the Scottish outdoors.
He’s been working as a photographer for over a decade, after being inspired as a child by his father and uncle’s photos of kayaking and hang-gliding. After studying photography in Cornwall, Ed has exhibited his award-winning work around the UK and been widely published in British newspapers and supplements such as The Telegraph and the Sunday Times Magazine.
He’s also contributed photos to more specialist outdoor clients including The North Face, ABF The Soldiers’ Charity and Glenmore Lodge the National Outdoor Training Centre.
Ramsays Round (Photo: Ed Smith)
Ed adds: ‘I love a challenge. All my clients know that about me!’
Ed recently photographed the Frontline Walk, a 100km fundraising hike across the Western Front of World War I. A few months earlier, he rose to the challenge of the Cateran Yomp – an epic, long-distance march through the unforgiving Scottish wilderness.
Ed has also teamed up with Irish comedian and outdoors enthusiast, Ed in the past, photographing him white water canoeing last year as an
assignment for TGO magazine (formerly The Great Outdoors).
He continued: ‘Setting up the gallery has been an adventure in itself. I like to take on a project and really go for it. There isn’t a gallery like this, so I’m excited to think that people with a shared passion can cross paths here.’
Sunrise over the Cairngorm plateau and Coire an t-Sneachda (Photo: Ed Smith)
The gallery’s name – Eleven41 – is a reference to a large cairn in the Cairngorms National Park, sitting at 1141 metres. It’s a marker point known
amongst mountaineers and walkers as ‘1141’ and for Ed, it’s a place that’s got special associations.
It’ll be Ed’s first official solo show of photography, with his breathtaking panoramas, which include images of the iconic Stac Pollaidh ridge, a winter sunrise seen from high in the Cairngorms and heart-in-mouth moments of extreme skiing.
His exceptional talent is obvious in the quality of his images, which capture the grandeur and serenity of this special part of the world.
Ed adds: ‘Many visitors pass through this part of Scotland so it seemed a perfect spot to build a creative hub. It’s a beautiful part of Scotland. Kingussie ticked all the boxes.
‘We have lost track of how many cups of tea, cheese toasties and cakes have fuelled our family, our friends and us during the re-fit, but a huge source of motivation has been the excitement and enthusiasm of our local community, and we’re happy to say that the doors are nearly open!
The Eleven 41 Gallery can be found at 35 High Street, Kingussie and opens on 1 December.
@1141gallery
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