Juteopolis was the term used to describe Dundee at the height of its success but was also the name of one of the ships that travelled between India and Dundee carrying the jute bales. The cube echoes these `pucca` jute bales and provided each artist with an unusual 3 D format to play with and be the vessel for the artist's interpretation of jute in the way that the bales were used to carry the raw materials from India. The cube could be cut into, shaped, be drawn, painted or printed on or have any manner of objects or materials attached to it. The artist had complete freedom as to how or what they wanted to do with it as long as it had a reference to jute.

 As our cubes have gradually returned to us completed, we have placed them together to form a floor piece that takes the shape of a lade which is the stone channel that drew the water from The Scouring Burn in Dundee and was the major water supply for the jute mills. The stone lade carried water and our sculptural lade carries our cubes. This is an organic piece of work that will grow as each artist adds their cube to the lade, which for some will be on opening night or through the run of the exhibition itself and in fact, will only come to completion as the show ends. 

This has been a unique initiative and we thank all those artists who have taken a cube or cubes and also taken the time to research what is such an influential part of the history of Dundee. They have responded enthusiastically, explored unfamiliar subject matter and challenged their preferred mode of practice in unexpected ways. Each cube contributes to what we hope will be an unusual and exciting sculptural collaboration that brings SSA artists together whilst echoing our own individual inclusion in what is an equally unique organisation.

Louise Ritchie SSA Council