Solway to Svalbard
Solway to Svalbard is a creative response to the spring migration of the barnacle geese from the wetlands of the Solway Firth in South West Scotland to the Islands of Svalbard in the High Arctic. The project captures the different environments and communities that are encountered by the geese on their unique journey and how, despite the distance and stark contrast in landscape, we are intrinsically linked to the polar regions.
Process of Development
Work is created from time spent in communities/environments (residencies, workshops, interviews) and audio-visual material collected from locations along the spring migration route: Caerlaverock (Solway), Selvær (Helgeland) and Longyearbyen (Svalbard). Material gathered will be used to create an immersive audio/visual environment in which live performance can take place. The resulting audio visual work will be developed with the idea of exploring unusual places of performance in both an urban and rural setting.
The project builds on the momentum of interest in the new direction Stuarts work is taking from organisations that are keen to use the ‘arts’ as a means of engagement with environmental issues. It links conservational research to a creative outlet connecting to new and different audiences in both conservation and the arts. It has potential to engage across new and established audiences connecting experimental cross-genre sonic arts with a more traditional music going crowd, conservational enthusiasts and academics. Drawing on established partner organisations it can explore ways of connecting the rural to the urban, capturing passing audiences and those less likely to seek out “arts” events as well as those gained through promotion.
So far it has been a period of exploration and collaboration, including three research residencies along the migration route and a development residency with NTS. Collaborating artists currently include award winning film-maker Emma Dove and sound recordist Pete Smith. Performers include Greg Lawson (GRIT Orchestra Creator/BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra), Su-a Lee (Scottish Chamber Orchestra), Iain Sandilands (GRIT Orchestra/McFall’s Chamber), James Ross (RCS/The Boy and The Bunnet) and Calum McIntyre (Karine Polwart/The Banana Sessions).
CAERLAVEROCK RESIDENCY
TRÆNA RESIDENCY
SVALBARD RESIDENCY
Meet the team
Partner organisations include: PRS Foundation the Open Fund, Help Musicians UK the Fusion Fund, Tenk Træna, Dumfries & Galloway Arts Festival, WWT Caerlaverock, The Stove Network and DG Unlimited.