SNOW is falling gently as I look out the window, a reminder that Winter is fast approaching, and with it a rather different look to the arts scene. The big outdoor festivals which have becomes such a significant part of the summer are again behind us, but that does not mean that the arts – or even festivals – are about to go into hibernation.

November sees the Inverness Film Festival (lookout for further coverage on Northings this month) at Eden Court, and the beginning of Highland Council’s extended Inverness Winter Festival, which will culminate in a Hogmanay Party at the Northern Meeting Park on 31 December (they are having no truck with the rather spurious Auld New Year favoured by Highland 2007).

The festival will also include a St Andrews Day celebration with the much-in-demand Red Hot Chilli Pipers, and a series of projections onto buildings in the city by Arts in Motion, who will host their annual awards for short films from the Highlands, The Alberts, at their base in Evanton on 6 December (contact artsinmotion@btinternet.com  for details).

If the Inverness event is likely to be the biggest of the end of the year bashes, there will doubtless be no shortage of cèilidhs and celebrations around the Highlands & Islands in what has become an increasingly public rather than home-centred occasion. And when the hangovers have eased, Celtic Connections will kick in with its annual and ever-growing three-week extravaganza in Glasgow in January.

Throw in a busy ongoing programme at arts venues of many kinds all round the Highlands and Islands, and it is clear that we are all involved in what is very much a year-round activity these days.

Our main interview on Northings this month with visual artist Sue Jane Taylor is the longest we have published in that slot, and we have opted to make it available in the form of a downloadable PDF rather than an endlessly scrolling webpage. The artist’s conversation with Georgina Coburn on her recent work in copper mines in Tasmania raises many issues that are immediately relevant in a Highlands & Islands context, and broadens out in many fascinating directions.

Our Venue Profile features a legendary village hall that eluded us in our first series of profiles, Glenuig Hall in Moidart, while our From the Archive feature revisits Sue Wilson’s article on a notable figure from the Lochaber area, fiddler Aonghas Grant.

We have also changed the look and presentation of our weblogs, which can now be accessed under the Blogs button in the navigation bar. We will be looking to develop this feature in the coming months, along with our Podcasts. And, as ever, look out for more news, features and reviews in the course of November.

Kenny Mathieson
Commissioning Editor, Northings

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 Scotsman, The Herald, The List, and other publications. He has contributed to numerous reference books, and has written books on jazz and Celtic music.