Eve Mutso was enjoying a cup of tea and a scone when it came to her. The former Scottish Ballet principal spied a feedback form in the café at Mount Stuart, a 19th-century mansion on the Isle Of Bute, and had an idea. ‘I wrote down, “would like to see more dance here”,’ she recalls. ‘I knew full well that they never programme dance; they have a visual-arts programme that has been running for over 20 years, but they never have any dance.’ But choreographer and dancer Mutso finally has her wish. And even better, she is the one who’s delivering it.

Created in close collaboration with poet Rhona Warwick Paterson, Pacing The Void will be performed in Mount Stuart’s impressive Marble Hall. Comprising choreography, verse, soundscape and a ceramic art installation, this multi-faceted work was eight years in the planning and several months in the making. Although now back in her native Estonia, Mutso spent many years living in Glasgow while at Scottish Ballet, with trips to the Isle Of Bute a regular respite from the city. So taken was she with Mount Stuart that Mutso became a member, leading to multiple visits and (it turns out) opportunities to get inspired.

^{Picture: Susan Hay}

‘You go to that island, leave the mainland behind and suddenly your lungs expand, you look up more and your senses open,’ says Mutso, her eyes brightening just at the thought of it. ‘I know the house really well and Rhona began to visit it, so it became like a pilgrimage for art. We started to dig into the archives and had quite a few trips in different seasons, together and alone. I had all this knowledge I’d gathered from the Mount Stuart guides over the years and I told Rhona all the stories I’d heard.’

In a house filled with splendour, there was no shortage of locations for a site-specific work, but the women were particularly drawn to the Marble Hall. Over 80ft tall and decorated with 20 types of marble, the room is the jewel in Mount Stuart’s crown. Look up past the high arches and balconies and you’ll find an incredible ceiling decorated with constellations studded with glass crystals. Mutso and Warwick Paterson had found their spot. 

‘I just kept looking up and thinking there’s something there; it was really drawing my attention,’ recalls Mutso. ‘And then a guide told me that the 3rd Marquess Of Bute, who built the house, had planned to have a circular dining table covered in mirrors so his guests didn’t have to look up to see the constellations while they were eating. I just loved that story.’ As a result, Pacing The Void will be performed on a mirrored floor with the audience looking down from the balconies above. We can choose to look up at the constellations, or down at Mutso, and see the stars reflected back at us. 

As for the work itself, Mutso was inspired by the Greek myth of Callisto, who is raped by Zeus, transformed into a bear, gives birth, then roams the wilderness for 16 years until her own son tries to hunt her. Eventually, Zeus turns her into the constellation Ursa Major, or ‘The Great Bear’ as it’s commonly known. It’s a lot to fit into a 30-minute work, but Mutso will focus mainly on Callisto’s wilderness years.

‘We wanted to tell a very human story that really touches an audience,’ explains Mutso. ‘So you’ll see a woman who is very grounded but then goes through emotional turmoil: she’s lost her voice, her body, her place in society and her son, so there’s a deep sorrow. And then the dance finishes with the installation; Rhona and I created ceramics from the space between both our palms, had them fired and turned into meteoric black sculptures. To have sound, poetry, the hands and dance all merge together will hopefully enrich Mount Stuart’s visual arts programme. I think the stars have aligned.’

Pacing The Void, Mount Stuart, Isle Of Bute, Friday 9–Sunday 11 September.