‘Scrolls’ from the series Entwined by Fiona Young
I’m a Scottish artist working across photography and sculpture. I love getting out into nature and taking the time to really look at what’s around me – from the first green shoots of spring to the decaying leaves we often walk past without a second glance.
This close observation of nature is at the heart of my work, along with a belief in the positive impact that spending time outdoors and connecting with the natural world can have on our wellbeing.
Having lived in Dalkeith, near Edinburgh, for more than 20 years I’d always looked at Dalkeith Palace from a distance. In its 300-year history the palace only began opening its doors to the public in 2021.
Last year I took part in an art fair there. It was the first time I’d stepped inside the building. I was completely blown away by the scale and grandeur of the palace. I couldn’t believe something so extraordinary was right on my doorstep.
In July 2026 I approached the palace with an idea for my first solo exhibition – a collection of still-life photographs inspired by the natural landscape of Dalkeith Country Park and the palace’s historic interiors. The team were incredibly supportive and I began making the work in mid-September. Just a few weeks later Entwined was ready to open to the public.
It’s been an intense but rewarding project and I’ve thrived on the challenge of working to such a tight deadline. The experience has opened up new possibilities, and I’m already looking at other historic sites that might inspire future photographic projects.
Below, I share the story of three images from Entwined, a collection of A1 and A2 limited-edition prints.
1. ‘Undercroft’ from the series Entwined by Fiona Young
There is a labyrinth of medieval cellar spaces beneath Dalkeith Palace. The one that really caught my attention had once been used to store wine and I was drawn to the unusual bottle-shaped alcoves set into the thick stone walls.
The undercroft was probably the most technically challenging place I’ve ever worked in, but it turned out to be one of my favourite experiences of the project. There was nowhere to plug in my studio lights so I couldn’t use my usual setup. Rather than fight against that, I decided to embrace it and try light painting. Working in total darkness, I used a torch to illuminate the arrangement during a long exposure.
The space was damp, cold and musty, and I spent two days working down there on my own. I found myself talking out loud as I worked – it seemed to help stop my imagination running away with me.
There was something quite special about being alone in a place so steeped in history. The vaulted cellars date back to the medieval period, making them much older than the palace above. I wanted to capture something of that atmosphere in the photograph, with its sense of a crypt or hidden space where time has stood still.
2. ‘Tiny acorns’ from the series Entwined by Fiona Young
This photograph has been two years in the making. Back in 2024 I spotted a social media post from Dalkeith Country Park. A ranger explained a phenomenon called a mast year, when oak trees produce an enormous abundance of acorns. It’s a fascinating natural strategy – by producing far more acorns than wildlife can eat, the trees increase the chances of some surviving to grow into new saplings.
The post encouraged people to collect acorns and grow their own trees. I collected mine from beneath the magnificent ancient oaks in the park’s protected Old Oak Wood and managed to grow two saplings. I loved the idea behind it: if you want to do one good thing for nature, grow an oak tree. So that’s exactly what I did.
Fast forward two years, and I found myself creating Entwined. I knew I wanted to make a photograph celebrating these extraordinary trees and the two saplings seemed the perfect place to start. I carefully removed them from their pot and arranged them in a large glass vessel filled with water, surrounded by oak leaves I’d gathered that autumn. I particularly love how the glass magnifies their beautiful root systems. It reveals a whole other world beneath the surface, and to me, the image has an almost celestial quality. These tiny trees have the potential to become as magnificent as the ancient oaks they came from. I find that thought quite extraordinary.
3. ‘A taste of privilege’ from the series Entwined by Fiona Young
I took this photograph in one of Dalkeith Palace’s beautiful state rooms, with its intricate wooden panelling. The palace was completed in 1711, and during the 18th century exotic fruits such as citrus were a real luxury in Britain. Wealthy households could grow them in elaborate, heated conservatories and Dalkeith Palace had its own. I liked the idea of bringing these fruits back into a setting where they would once have been enjoyed.
I used traditional chiaroscuro lighting to create the dramatic contrasts of light and shadow associated with the Dutch Masters, but brought my own approach to still life by stacking cut-glass vessels to create unusual structures. I balanced the vessels carefully to form a slightly precarious tower, with a lemon squeezer at the top that echoes the geometric point in the wooden panelling behind it.
I love finding these little connections between the objects I’m arranging and the space around them. The fruit brings colour and life to the photograph while the glass catches the light and adds another layer of detail. For me, it’s a way of imagining a little of the palace’s former life, when these fruits would have been a rare luxury enjoyed by very few.
Entwined by Fiona Young is at Restoration Yard, Dalkeith Palace and Country Park, Dalkeith, 6 November 2026-10 January 2027
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