Autoxylopyrocycloboros was a four-hour voyage made by Simon Starling across Loch Long on a wooden steamboat fuelled by wood cut piece-by-piece from its own hull. The work was inspired by the history of Loch Long: birthplace of the steamship, and home to Trident, the steam-powered nuclear submarines. While this is the one of the most picturesque corners of Scotland, its mountains are hollowed out to contain and conceal a nuclear arsenal, and its shores are inhabited by an infamous peace camp. This community of protestors have kept the secretive activities of the naval bases in the media’s glare for over thirty years, chivvying their way under the Navy’s skin. The title Autoxylopyrocycloboros comes from ‘Ouroboros’, the mythical tail-eating serpent and symbol of eternal rejuvenation.
SIMON STARLING (British, 1967)
Silkscreen print
Acquired in 2006
