In May 2021 Clara was appointed Artist in Residence for the Coigach and Assynt Living Landscape Partnership, tasked with exploring the relationship between the red deer, land and communities of the area.

Clara approached the residency through the lens of weaving, proposing that the various players in this relationship might be understood as different ‘threads’ that interweave to produce a particular form or configuration.

During a six week stay, hosted by the Assynt Foundation at Glencanisp Estate, Clara researched the various threads that contribute to the deer-land-people relationship, gathering knowledge from conversation, literature, first-hand observation and workshops.

Her research took her from questions of land management and ownership, to biodiversity loss and woodland regeneration; from culling practices and food systems to folklore and place names. At its core, the red deer relationship revealed itself as intricate and nuanced, characterised by interconnection and interdependence, but also by tension and divergence.

The final exhibition pieces draw upon these characteristics, making visible in thread the complexity of the relationship between red deer and the physical and cultural landscape of Coigach and Assynt.