MacDiarmid on mortals – poster

Oor ain culture

Culture is one of the main things that define a country. It makes one place on a map more than simply in a different location to another place on a map. Scotland is no exception to this. From our tartans and traditions, to our writing, music, languages and so much more, the culture that has come to define Scotland has become known around the world.

Cringe no more

In the centuries since the birth of the union in 1707, Scots have been gradually all been taught to dislike, dismiss, or even flat out deny our culture. Known as the Scottish Cringe, this in-built censor manifests in all sorts of ways, often near words like 'twee' and 'parochial'. Bringing a focus and sense of worth to Scottish culture is one of the main aims of Indy Prints.

About this piece

Hugh MacDiarmid's A Drunk Man Looks at the Thistle is one of his most accomplished works. Written in 1926, the long-form poem helped pave the way for the use of Scots language in the arts. The full verse reads:
And let the lesson be – to be yersels
Ye needna fash gin it's to be ocht else
Tae be yersels and to mak that work bein
Nae harder job tae mortals has been gien

The artwork

The second half of the above verse is rendered here in an art deco font, combined with a stylised view of Assynt to recreate the look of mid-century travel posters.

Product details

• Paper size A3, 420x297mm
• 350gsm smooth white board
• Printed in Scotland on FSC® Mixed Sources paper