WHERE did 2009 go? It hardly seems any time since I was last writing the final editorial of the year. It has certainly been a busy one for arts in the Highlands & Islands, and we have covered more events than ever before in the course of the year, despite the very real difficulties facing artists and promoters in what are still very straightened times.

That has been a triumph for the sheer persistence and determination of a whole network of individuals and organisations, including very many people around the region who give their time and expertise on a voluntary basis to ensure that all manner of events take place in halls all over the area. So a well deserved pat on the back to all of you out there supporting and sustaining the arts in whatever capacity, and we look forward to a lot more good stuff to enjoy in the twelve months to come.

As usual, this final Editorial of 2009 will also serve as the first of 2010 as Northings goes into hibernation for a couple of weeks over Christmas and New Year. The sharp-eyed among you will already have noted that there are changes afoot in the review sections.

Once we have ironed out the technicalities, the existing navigation buttons for Event Reviews and Film Reviews will be amalgamated as a single Reviews button, and all reviews are already going into the Event Reviews section. We are currently cooking up some more changes to the website, of which more in due course.

We have decided that we will no longer carry a regular film review after Christmas in order to free up more resources to cover specifically Highland & Island-oriented events (including films as appropriate). Many thanks go to Allan Hunter for his excellent reviews since taking over that role several years ago, and we look forward to his continuing input to Northings.

Our main interview this month features Mirrie Dancers in Shetland, a light-based art project which will culminate in a permanent installation in the Mareel venue when it opens in 2011. Lead artists Roxane Permar and Nayan Kulkarni filled me in on the project.

While December looks a little quieter than recent months on the events front, there will be many events clustered around our “down time” around Christmas and New Year, including pantos around the Highlands & Islands, and the final stages of the Inverness Winter Festival, so get out and enjoy, and accept the Compliments of the Season – and have a good new year in 2010 – from the Northings team.

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.