Jack Arts

Conor Gault: The Last Lighthouse Keepers of Scotland

Photographer Conor Gault’s grandfather, Bill Gault, was the very last of the Scottish lighthouse keepers – turning off the light at Fair Isle South Lighthouse in 1998 – and is part of a small group of remaining lighthouse keepers living today.

Through this ongoing series, Gault uses large format film to capture portraits of members of this group, and their memories of the lighthouse stations where they once lived and worked.

JACK ARTS Scotland worked with Gault and contemporary art gallery and print workshop Peacock & the worm to present work from the series at sites around Aberdeen, to coincide with the city’s Tall Ships event. The presentation of the work adapted to each site, from large format posters pasted onto the walls of their gallery and neighbouring lane, to printed boards mounted onto railings by the harbour, showcasing the work on a backdrop of ships.

Alongside the work in Aberdeen, we hosted an accompanying presentation of Gault’s series on our lightboxes on West Graham Street in Glasgow, turning these rural monuments and their keepers into lit beacons on the city streets.