Fleece and Flow: Andy Goldsworthy's Rural Wool Runner
The grand neoclassical staircase of Edinburgh's Royal Scottish Academy has been transformed into something entirely unexpected. Where visitors might expect polished marble steps, they now encounter a runner made entirely from discarded sheep fleeces – the scraps thrown away after shearing, each piece marked with the vivid blues and reds that farmers use to identify their flocks. Artist Andy Goldsworthy has painstakingly stitched these fragments together using thorns, creating a tactile pathway that bridges the refined world of fine art with the raw, working landscape of rural Scotland.
Wool fleeces in preparation for assembly. Image courtesy of the artist.
This striking installation forms part of "Andy Goldsworthy: Fifty Years," the largest indoor exhibition ever mounted of the internationally acclaimed artist's work, running at the Royal Scottish Academy until 2 November. The fleece runner exemplifies Goldsworthy's profound understanding of materials – not just their aesthetic qualities, but their histories, their journeys from field to gallery.
Andy Goldsworthy assembling Wool Runner at the Royal Scottish Academy. Image courtesy of the artist.
For Goldsworthy, wool represents more than mere artistic material; it embodies the complex relationship between human activity and the natural world. These fleeces, stained with agricultural markers and bearing the physical traces of their working lives, speak to the artist's broader investigation of how we interact with and transform the landscape around us. The thorns used to stitch the pieces together add another layer of meaning – a reminder that beauty and discomfort often coexist in rural life.
The choice to use discarded fleece is particularly significant. Rather than pristine materials, Goldsworthy embraces the cast-offs, the overlooked remnants of agricultural process. This approach reflects his decades-long commitment to working with what the land provides, adapting to found materials rather than imposing external substances upon natural environments.
Detail of the marked sheep fleeces. Image courtesy of the artist.
Having made his home in Dumfries and Galloway for forty years, Goldsworthy has developed an intimate relationship with Scotland's farming communities. His use of locally sourced fleece in this exhibition serves as both artistic statement and tribute to the region that has supported his practice. The coloured markings on each fleece tell individual stories – each farm, each flock, each season represented in the stitched-together tapestry beneath visitors' feet.
This wool work forms part of a broader exhibition that demonstrates Goldsworthy's evolution from ephemeral outdoor interventions to major indoor installations. Yet even within the controlled environment of the gallery, he maintains his commitment to materials that carry the weight of their origins – earth, stone, clay, and yes, the humble fleece that once kept sheep warm in Scottish fields.
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Further Information:
Andy Goldsworty: 50 Years is on now until 2 November at the Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh, Scotland. Open daily, 10am–5pm.
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Image Credits:
Lead: Wool Runner, 2025. Andy Goldsworthy. Photo courtesy of the artist.
All other images as credited in photo captions.