Highlights of Highland Homecoming Programme Revealed
Spectacular street theatre, heart-rending storytelling, new musical compositions, stunning visuals – new iconic images of the Highlands as you’ve never seen them before.
And that’s just a taste of the amazing kaleidoscope of culture and talent set to colour Scotland’s Homecoming festival as it moves north.
With the backdrop of some of the world’s most breathtaking scenery, Highland Homecoming promises a feast of atmospheric events – from an outdoor Polish production of Macbeth on stilts to photographic catalogue of Scotland, a clan of kilted puppeteers and the evocative St Kilda Tapes, exploring themes of migration and home.
At the heart of the festival, from October 19-31, is Scotland’s Global Impact Conference where historians explore the theory that our small nation did indeed change the world.
The packed Highland Homecoming programme encompasses more than 100 events, allowing visitors and those who live here to immerse themselves in the area’s rich heritage and culture – as well as offering the chance of experiences they may never have envisaged before.
Big Man Walking, staged on the streets of Invergordon, will see the return of a mythical giant who fell to earth 10,000 years ago and helped to shape our landscape before vanishing. Early morning commuters will discover a vast seed pod in a local park when the myth returns and a kilted clan of puppeteers arrive to unseal and dismantle his cocoon.
The Gaelic Mass, composed by Blair Douglas and performed in St Columba’s Cathedral, Oban, is rooted in the Celtic tradition but explores different musical themes, creating a unique, original work featuring Gaelic singers and the Inverness Gaelic Choir.
Polish theatre company Teatr Biuoro Podrozy present Macbeth: Who is that Bloodied Man?, using their trademark stilts, fire and music outdoors at Eden Court, Inverness.
But some of the most stirring events will focus on the migration and homecoming theme. They include: The Flight of the Arctic Tern, she story of Alexander Gunn who left his home in Durness in 1853 for Australia, one of the thousands of Scots who left during the Highland Clearances; The St Kilda Tapes which combines live music and archive film plus some other multimedia surprises to investigate the theme, and Wanderings with a Camera – the photography of Erksine Beveridge, a talented amateur who travelled Scotland capturing the images of landscapes, communities, harbours and archaeological sites, giving a fascinating insight into a Scotland on the brink of major social and economic change in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Fiona Hampton, Project Director, said: “This is one of the most exciting programmes of music, arts and cultural events ever staged in the Highlands and truly offers something for everyone. Visitors and locals will not only be able to experience our heritage, some of it with a new twist, but just by being here they can soak up the culture of our area as they enjoy and take part in this unique and thought-provoking series of events.
“We are particularly delighted with the diversity of events and the geographical spread and would like to thank the many community event organisers and promoters across the Highlands and Islands for their inspiration and input in developing the programme. So wherever you are in the Highlands make sure you don’t miss Highland Homecoming.”
Marie Christie, Project Director, Homecoming Scotland 2009 said: “We have already seen some fantastic Homecoming activity taking place across the Highlands with The Crossing, Ulapool Book Festival and Culloden – From Battle to Exile all attracting visitors from across Scotland and around the world. The Highland Homecoming programme brings together a wide-ranging celebration of Highland culture and heritage into a packed fortnight of events providing insights and entertainment for all those who call the Highland’s ‘Home’.”
To find out more about Highland Homecoming and the programme of events log on to www.highlandeventsandfestivals.com
August 5, 2009
Posted in: Scotland