RSA 200 – Anna Gardiner, Underwater Sacred Grove

Orkney-based artist Anna Charlotta Gardiner undertakes a month-long residency in Aberdeen within the Outer Spaces studio network. Located on Shiprow, the proximity to the city’s maritime heritage is a point of departure in the creation of new work, which include historic felting techniques and hand-spun threads used to produce handcrafted fishing nets. Gardiner’s practice explores our interconnectedness with - and responsibilities - towards nature, working across performance, costume, video, textiles and sound and utilising reclaimed materials. Her work references mythology, science, heritage and dreamworlds, and is often haunted by beings, inhabiting a space between the human and more-than-human worlds. Her performance work is heavily informed by her neurodivergence – through acts of masking and unmasking, embracing discomfort, and stimming through actions with sight, sound, touch and movement. Further details of public workshops will be released in January 2026. 

Anna Charlotta Gardiner (b. 1983) is a Finnish-Scottish visual and performance artist.  With a background in anthropology and academic publishing, she is currently undertaking postgraduate study with University of the Highlands and Islands, Orkney.  She is a recipient of the Outer Spaces Scotland Award - RSA New Contemporaries 2025, whilst her performance work was featured in the 2024 film The Outrun.