An oil painting of Aberdeen Harbour showing a row of docked oil ships.
Past exhibitions

Age of Oil

–

National Museum of Scotland

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

  1. A black and white photograph of a pilot flying a spitfire aircraft.

    The story of the Spitfire: An iconic British combat aircraft

    Science and technology

    The Spitfire is the most famous of all British combat aircraft, and played a vital role in the Battle of Britain in 1940.
    Short read
  2. A colour photograph crop of a large glass and black metal sphere in a room. The sphere is predominantly glass and enclosed with a black metal frame. In the centre of the sphere is a set of curved vertical rotating wires, which are connected by a central pole. On the outside gof the glass are various astronomical words including: PEGASUS, PISCES, SAGITTARIUS.

    The Sendtner orrery: a build of cosmic persistence

    Science and technology

    Written by Dr Tacye Phillipson
    The story of this over 100-year-old planetarium or orrery provides a fascinating glimpse into the history of science interpretation, as well as a behind-the-scenes peek into early 20th century museum working.An orrery is a mechanical model…
    Long read

  3. The first ever colour television

    Science and technology

    The oldest known surviving colour television in the world is held in the National Museum of Scotland collection. It was manufactured in 1946 by General Electric in the USA for the Columbia Broadcasting Service (CBS) and is the only one of…
    Long read