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Angus McPhee or MacPhee (1916–1997) was a Scottish outsider artist, who lived as a young man in the community of Eochar (Sc.Gaelic: Iochdar) on the island of South Uist, part of the Outer Hebrides. He made his art by weaving found vegetation, such as grasses, into extraordinary garments. He also used sheep's wool picked from barbed wire fences, and leaves. MacPhee created most of his work whilst in the Craig Dunain Psychiatric Hospital near Inverness. He chose not to speak for 50 years. == Biography == MacPhee was born into a crofting family from Eochar/Iochdar, South Uist (Outer Hebrides), although he was actually born in Nettlehole, west of Glasgow, whilst his father worked as a hired hand before returning to Uist to settle when Angus was 7. As a young boy on the croft, he learnt how to make ropes and horse-harness from the abundant marram grass or muirineach on the island. He showed some skills playing music and singing, loved horses,〔Timothy Neat; Voice of the Bard. pub.Canongate, 1999. ISBN 0-86241-842-9〕 but otherwise appeared to be a normal child of a poor crofting family. Although as a young child he was brought up in a Scots English-speaking community, on the island he soon became a fluent speaker of Gaelic. MacPhee served with the Lovat Scouts, and rode on horseback to join them at Beaufort Castle, where the horse was sold for £70.〔Timothy Neat; Voice of the Bard. pub.Canongate, 1999. ISBN 0-86241-842-9〕 Angus was garrisoned in the Faroe Islands during World War II, where he became increasingly mentally ill. No one knew what caused this illness. He returned home on the croft, but he became mute, sullen and self-absorbed. His family noticed his animals became neglected, and soon he was moved to Larbert Asylum. He was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 1946, and spent much of the rest of his life in Craig Dunain Hospital.〔Roger Hutchinson; The Silent Weaver. pub.Birlinn, 2011.〕 He fell largely silent and according to Joyce Laing, an art therapist who came across MacPhee in the 1970s, he didn't speak for more than 50 years.〔Joyce Laing: Weaver of Grass.pub. Taigh Chearsabhagh Trust 2000. ISBN 0-9535814-1-1〕 There is some uncertainty about how totally mute MacPhee actually was, and the first full biography of MacPhee, by Roger Hutchinson 〔Roger Hutchinson; The Silent Weaver. pub.Birlinn, 2011.〕 shows there was evidence that MacPhee spoke a little to a few close friends in Craig Dunain, in Gaelic. Whatever, the fact seems to be that he remained largely silent for 50 years. Described as 'the quiet big man', he was admitted to the farm ward of the hospital, Kinmylies House. There he tended the animals and worked on the lands. He was a steady and hard worker and had a particular affection for horses. During his free time, MacPhee wandered the hospital grounds in search of materials and created objects woven mostly from grass, sheep wool and beech leaves. He made garments, hats, caps, pouches, harnesses and the like, which he liked to hide under the bushes. He was completely silent as to their purpose.〔Joyce Laing: Weaver of Grass.pub. Taigh Chearsabhagh Trust 2000. ISBN 0-9535814-1-1〕 In the 1990s, as part of the movement to return psychiatric patients to the community, Angus was moved back to South Uist, and lived until his death in the Old People's Nursing Home in Daliburgh〔Timothy Neat; Voice of the Bard. pub.Canongate, 1999. ISBN 0-86241-842-9〕 within an hours' drive of his remaining family. Joyce Laing recalls visiting him and showing him a photograph of a favourite horse. To her surprise Angus briefly spoke, commenting on the horse. She hoped that he might eventually reveal his story to her but within a short time he died.〔Joyce Laing: Weaver of Grass.pub. Taigh Chearsabhagh Trust 2000. ISBN 0-9535814-1-1〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア(Wikipedia)』 ■ウィキペディアで「Angus McPhee」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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