Recovery Island Film
Scottish artist Thomas Abercromby spent time embedded in the Isle of Bute community, working closely with a local recovery group through creative workshops, interviews, and sensory walks as research for his exhibition Recovery Island. Alongside this, he explored the gardens of Mount Stuart and other green spaces, places remembered fondly by participants and rooted in their personal histories, to create a sonic map of the island as a landscape of memory, care, and transformation.
The resulting work, a new installation: a multi-channel sound and scent piece, unfolds throughout the rooms of Mount Stuart. Rooted in abolitionist thinking, which emphasises building systems of care, solidarity and support as alternatives to punishment, it is set on a semi-fictional Recovery Island, where each track follows the story of an individual journeying through recovery, whether from addiction, grief, trauma, or physical and mental illness.
Blending real testimonies with poetic fiction, each sound piece is paired with a distinct scent to form a sensory narrative of what healing might look like. Here, the garden is not only a backdrop but also a central metaphor: a living site of recovery, memory, and social imagination.
At the launch event for Recovery Island filmmaker Diana Dumi captured guests and visitors experiencing the work throughout Mount Stuart. You can watch that film here.
Recovery Island continues at Mount Stuart until 19th October.