Butthe dancing's out of this world
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The walk will take visitors up the Old Man of Storr
Artists worship Skye at night
Installation artist Angus Farquhar and his team at NVA have unveiled plans for a night—time walk in the extraordinary Hebridean landscape. Words: Tim Abrahams
her a the year wait. the acclaimed eny'ironmental arts company .\'\'.-\ has announced its highly anticipated l'ollow-up to "l‘he l’ath‘. "l‘he Storr'.
like its predecessor. will he neither an art installation nor
an open-air perl'ormance hut a walk through the wild landscape this time at 'l'rotternish on the Isle ol’ Skye.
\Valks will commence at midnight. through a network of
lights. accompanied hy music l'rom (ieir .lenssen. the Norwegian hehind amhient duh pioneers Biosphere. poetry hy the late Sorley .\lacl.ean. horn on nearhy Raasay. and song hy the traditional (iaelic singer .-\nnc Martin.
The area already attracts around 2(H)()() Visitors a year
and is known as the largest landslip in the world. Angus l-‘arduhar. artistic director ol‘ .\'\';\. said: '()l' course the landscape is already ahsolutely heautil‘til. hut we work at night. in a light and sensitiye manner to hring out the dil'l'erent characters of the setting. both in human and geological terms.‘ It marks a welcome return to the wilderness l‘or .\'\'.-\. which recently has created the award- winning. although resolutely urhan Hidden (iardens at the 'l‘ramway in (ilasgow.
The area around the iconic Old Man ol‘ Storr was designated a Site ol‘ Specilic Scientilic Interest (SSSll in the \Vildlil'e and ('ountryside Act NS]. :\s a result. .\'\':\ spent two years working on a .illtl—page planning application including a lull environmental impact survey hy consultant Jo Hunt. ‘Becatise the installation will he in situ for over seyen weeks it was deetned a permanent structure. therel‘ore we had to go through the same leyel ol‘ scrutiny that a super quarry would go through The end was creatiye hut going through that process wasn‘t] says l‘arquhar.
In order to meet the strict planning guidelines that goy'et‘n erecting a structure on a SSSI. .\'\}\ designed the lightest pottahle lighting systems in existence. .»\cording to .\'\';\. these guarantee the lowest possihle emironmental impact and power consumption —- a remarkahle 90’; reduction on conyentional outdoor eyent energy requirements. To minimise damage to the terrain. the team has designated a turther £60,000 to immune the pathway s to the site.
Walks will take place from Mon 1 Aug until Sat 17 Sep. Tickets go on sale from 15 Apr. www.nva.org.uk
NEW LIFE FOR OLD FRUITMARKET
I The popular Celtic Connections venue in Glasgow’s Merchant City is to reopen in January 2006 as part of a £13m refurbishment. The famous City Halls will also be refitted, with its first floor windows opened up for the first time since being bricked up 40 years ago. Simon Drysdale, head of marketing at Glasgow Cultural Enterprises, said that all the funds for the refurbishment have already been raised, claiming that, unlike other recent high profile Scottish building projects, there is no prospect of a budget overspend. The refit was designed by Glasgow City Council architects department. The venue will be known as the Gait, and will be home to the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.
I Smokebombs are set to explode on Calton Hill this month (Sat 16 Apr, 2—3pm), releasing colourful clouds into the air as part of an off-site project in connection with the Simon Patterson show at Fruitmarket Gallery. Alongside the unfinished monuments and the infamous cruising ground, smoke capsules will be released. Piff, paff, poof!
I The Winner of the Dundee Book Prize will be announced on 27 Apr. Judges Ian Rankin. John BurnSIde and Edi Stark picked the shortlist from 250 full-length books by new fiction writers. Reading groups and writers-in- residence are now deliberating over the eventual Winner.
I Those who want to put green issues at the heart of the election debate should join Everyone, the coalition of Scotland’s environmental groups, at an election hustings on climate change at 7.30pm on 27 Apr at
7 Wctoria Terrace, Edinburgh. See www.cveryonecan.org.
I Big in Falkirk returns for its sixth year over 29 Apr and 1 May. The festivities take place at Callendar Park and include outdoor theatre. and an all-day music stage headlined by Heather Small and Les McKeown's Bay City Rollers. See wrvwbiginfalkirkcom.
I A new organisation, Architecture + Design Scotland, has been set up to champion our built environment. Leading architect Malcolm Fraser is deputy chair.
'27.»: THE LIST 7