THE HIGHLANDS & ISLANDS seemed to do particularly well out of the National Theatre of Scotland’s much anticipated launch event, ‘Home’. We carry reviews of all four of the H&I-based shows, and several more from furth of the region.

As those reviews testify, the four productions (and the other northern one in Aberdeen) have been generally well received, with few dissenting voices amidst the press coverage, although The Herald’s reviewer in Evanton did not agree with our own assessment of the production there.

Whatever the shortcomings, it was a daring and highly imaginative way in which to launch one of the key new developments in the world of Scottish arts, and a highly symbolic one, too. It will be fascinating to see where Vicky Featherstone and her team go from here, and how that will impact on theatre in the region.

Staying with that topic, the Highlands & Islands Theatre Network is the subject of a new series in Northings. We begin this month with Stuart Brownlee’s overview of the Network, an introduction to a series of ongoing monthly profiles of the member companies.

New media artists Simon Fildes and Katrina McPherson are the subjects of our main interview this month. Simon is on the shortlist for a Creative Scotland award this year, and the two artists – who are partners in the personal as well as professional sense – collaborate in the unusual field of video dance, still largely uncharted territory in a Highlands & Islands context.

Their work is at the forefront of that genre, a medium which is gradually gaining recognition as an innovative and forward looking discipline.

The appointment of Stephen Watts as HI~Arts first Embedded Poet caused a stir in the press last year when it was announced that he would be working in the sensitive field of suicide. Much of the comment was both ill-informed and a misunderstanding of the project. In a fascinating article, Stephen explains how he intends to tackle his brief.

We have two new contributions to our ArtsFolk strand this month, from Shona Arthur in Nairn and Lynn Johnson in Badenoch & Strathspey. The series looks at the work of Highland Region’s Arts Officers in their home areas.

As usual, we will be adding features, reviews and news items on a regular basis throughout the month, so keep checking back for the latest developments in the arts in the Highlands and Islands.

Kenny Mathieson
Commissioning Editor
Northings Arts Journal

Kenny Mathieson lives and works in Boat of Garten, Strathspey. He studied American and English Literature at the University of East Anglia, graduating with a BA (First Class) in 1978, and a PhD in 1983. He has been a freelance writer on various arts-related subjects since 1982, and contributes to the Inverness Courier, The Herald, The Scotsman, The List, Times Educational Supplement Scotland, and other publications. He has contributed to numerous reference books, and has written books on jazz and Celtic music.