‘peeking’, 2018, woven & embroidered yarn, 1′x1′

fingersports.blogspot.com

This morning, I took the family to South Queensferry, near Edinburgh, to see an ancient tradition taking place called The Burry Man. Dating as far back as 1687, it has been performed on the second Friday in the month of August for nearly four centuries. The Burry Man is dressed from head to ankle in burrs, the spikey seed case of the burdock plant and paraded through the streets for nine hours. The purpose of The Burryman is unclear, the locals I spoke to suggested many origins; ranging from the warding off of evil spirits, to bringing good luck to the local herring fishing community or being symbolic of a flourishing and fruitful harvest. Whatever the roots are, it was an utterly odd and surreal experience following the him around a local housing estate this morning, which is hopefully conveyed in the photographs I took below.