
About Age of Oil
Exploring the people and places of Scotland’s offshore energy industry, this contemporary art exhibition showcased the work of visual artist Sue Jane Taylor who has worked in some of the most remote and challenging environments in Scotland.
This multimedia exhibition brought a unique perspective to the relationship between art, environment and industry while revealing an alien way of life on board a North Sea oil platform.
Linking closely to themes introduced in the Energise gallery, this exhibition considered the future of energy in Scotland and the challenges of removing a structure the size of the Eiffel Tower from the middle of the North Sea from the artist’s perspective.
An Age of Oil publication featuring Sue Jane Taylor's works and diary extracts is available to buy from the Museum shop.
Exhibition highlights



About the artist
Sue Jane Taylor has spent over thirty years recording the lives of workers in the North Sea oil and gas industry. Her work extends to cover the offshore renewable energy industry, where she has followed developments from fabrication to installation. Taylor has exhibited, carried out public commissions and held artist-residencies nationally and internationally. These images are a selection of Sue Jane Taylor's work from projects she has undertaken over the last ten years.
You might also like
- Discover
Memories of Nobles Amusements
In May 2024, National Museums Scotland recorded local memories of Nobles Amusements in Portobello, Edinburgh.Nobles Amusements has been a source of family entertainment for over a century. In the 1960s it made way for a new era of games…Keep reading - Discover
Did Alexander Graham Bell invent the telephone?
The box telephone was the first model of telephone to go on sale. But can its creator, Alexander Graham Bell, truly lay claim to the title ‘inventor of the telephone’?Keep reading - Discover
The story of the Spitfire: an iconic British combat aircraft
The Spitfire is the most famous of all British combat aircraft, and played a vital role in the Battle of Britain in 1940.Keep reading