In the shadow of the complex | Rachel Grant on Donald Butler's 'FLARE'

We commissioned curator and writer Rachel Grant to respond to Donald Butler​’s new commission ​‘FLARE’ (2026). ​‘FLARE’ was commissioned by LUX Scotland as part of We Contain Multitudes.

Rachel Grant (she/​her) is a curator based in Aberdeen. She is currently Curator at Peacock & the worm, an open-access print studio and contemporary art gallery in Aberdeen. The organisation works to develop the civic as well as the artistic dimensions of printmaking, showcasing work by artists from around the world. Rachel is responsible for environmental sustainability at the organisation which allows her to draw in her curatorial interests in energy in experimental and different ways. Rachel is current Chair of ​‘Co-hort E’ a Visual Arts, Craft and Design Working Group that aims to make their working practices ethical and sustainable, aiding the transition of the sector towards Net Zero. She is also part of the Curatorial Ethics Network.

She has worked freelance with multiple arts organisations across Scotland, including LUX Scotland and the Barn. She has also developed her own curatorial projects through ​‘Fertile Ground’. Her practice focuses on interdisciplinary and place-based approaches, with a particular interest in post-extractive practice. Recent work is framed by petroculture- the social relations shaped by oil dependency – energy transition, and climate justice.

Dawn – or dusk?

Drawings of cell like structures in black – pulsating

Large plumes of smoke rise from an industrial landscape. It fades into silhouettes of leafless trees stretching across the frame

Horton spheres – pressurised storage tanks used to store gases or liquified gases under pressure

A hand holding a cigarette loosely between fingers

A small frog sits in the palm of a hand

A pencil drawing of a pair of eyes – watching over

Cylindrical storage tanks

The word ​‘indifferent’ in black text

‘FLARE’ is still-image video work by Donald Butler exploring the artist’s memories of growing up in Grangemouth, a working class town on the banks of the Firth of Forth in the Central Belt of Scotland. It’s also a petrochemical hub, an industrial landscape made up of petrochemical plants that are constantly flaring. Flare is a word used across different contexts, to describe a sudden burst of emotion, or for something that erupts or intensifies suddenly in the case of chronic symptoms. Flares are also a feature of Grangemouth’s industrial landscape, used in oil refining as a safety feature they are designed to burn off excess gas. They operate twenty-four hours a day with a small flame that is constantly burning – known as a pilot light. Emitting anything from a low-frequency rumble, to a roar. The flare stack appears as a recurring motif throughout Butler’s work, perhaps a memory that came to be more dominant, or at least more symbolic than others.

‘FLARE’ is made up of multiple source materials, moving between personal photographs, drawings and archive materials of Grangemouth sourced from Falkirk Council Archives. These various materials have been scanned by a flatbed scanner, a familiar device found in homes, libraries, offices and archives, with many parts of it made from petrochemicals (materials derived from crude oil and gas). Another nod perhaps to the material aspects of Oil Culture (1) and its deep integration into our lives. Butler’s personal photographs, originally printed and chemically processed have been printed and re-scanned. Butler’s drawings can be seen in a different way as the wax, oil and pigment of a coloured pencil mark is compressed against the glass. As Butler moves between analogue, digital and chemical processing, the flatbed scanner acts as a portal to not only re-visit old images, but to create new ones. There is also a democratisation taking place, a reminder that the flatbed scanner acts as a common technology between personal and institutional archival practices.

I’m writing this over one hundred miles away from Grangemouth in Aberdeen, the previously self-proclaimed ​‘Oil Capital of Europe’ – and recently rebranded ​‘Energy Capital’ like many places in which energy is extracted and processed, Aberdeen has been shaped by the industry. Grangemouth is a place I’ve never visited. I read online that it hosts the UK’s oldest oil refinery complex dating back to 1924 and built by BP – or British Petroleum as they were known at the time (2). Scotland’s only oil refinery and the largest in Europe. The same article states that the owners Petroineos are announcing that the refinery has stopped processing crude oil. Its refining activities would cease in summer 2025 as it transitions to becoming an import terminal for ​‘finished fuels’, with a loss of 430 of the 2000 jobs (3). Politically, the oil refinery at Grangemouth was seen as a litmus test for Scotland’s ​‘Just Transition’ (4) – many would say that this transition failed. With the refinery now closed, the main industry at the plant is now the production of chemicals like ethylene, polyethylene and polypropylene, components used in the manufacture of plastics for everyday items from food packaging to use in the pharmaceutical industry.

I read elsewhere about the Grangemouth Hazard Consultation Zone, a designated safety area around the industrial complex. These zones affect a significant area, including the town centre and are established around Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH) sites and major hazard pipelines. Locals describe living within ​‘the shadow of the complex’ as they endure heavy traffic, emergencies and environmental risk (5).

I write briefly about the histories and impacts of major oil companies, state operations and privatisation and everyday materials not as a detour – but to speak to the politics of how stories of de-industrialisation are told. Whose stories are told, and how they are told are important. ​‘FLARE’ undermines the absolutes that are so common in de-industrial narratives and instead invites the viewer to consider a multitude of layered and complex ideas. Destruction, decay, indifference (to use Butler’s own words), contamination (6). Often stories of de-industrialisation are told from the perspective of politicians, private enterprise or to a lesser extent industry workers. As someone who has grown up in the shadow of an oil refinery, Butler brings a deeply personal experience in narrative making.

‘FLARE’ incorporates varied images from industrial landscapes that melt into textural and abstract drawings to personal photographs flipped forty-five degrees. The decision to contrast personal, artistic and industrial vantage points creates an authenticity in the work – they rub up against each other in interesting ways. It’s a non-narrative work and many images only last a few seconds on screen, a disruptive approach that emphasises the partial nature of our view which is intensified further by the off kilter, fast paced and techno inspired soundscape that accompanies the images. This fragmentation creates friction for the viewer and antagonises established narratives used in the development of the oil industry. A narrative which is often characterised as fluid – without resistance and creates prosperity for all. It also tells us something about how we remember – like a scattered dream that is hard to reach.

‘FLARE’ blends both personal and institutional archive, offering a nuanced exploration of place, memory and the pervasive impacts of Oil Culture.

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(1) Oil Culture (also referred to as Petroculture) is a term used to describe the profound way in which fossil fuels shape our lives, from economics to social relations to daily life. See ​‘Oil Culture’ by Ross Barrett & Daniel Wordon.

(2) Riyoko Shibe, ​‘Grangemouth: A Story of Unjust Transition?’ February 9 2024. Accessed March 2026.

(3) BBC, ​‘Grangemouth refinery stops processing crude oil’ 29 April 2025. Accessed March 2026.

(4) Riyoko Shibe, ​‘Grangemouth: A Story of Unjust Transition?’ February 9 2024. Accessed March 2026.

(5) Just Transition Commission. ​‘A Just Transition for Grangemouth’ 2024. p.10. Accessed March 2026.

(6) Contamination is often associated with toxicity in scientific studies, however it carries a more nuanced significance for the environmental humanities. Contamination highlights specific junctions where creatures, materials and events touch – arguing that we cannot touch the world without being touched back. See – Mel Y. Chen, Heather Davis, or Rob Nixon.