Sold out – our first performance of Fuaigh at the Edinburgh Fringe. Only one more performance and tickets are selling fast – Monday 21st, 3pm at The Scottish Storytelling Centre. Written and performed by Rona MacDonald, music by Mod Gold Medalist and Outlander star Gillebride MacMillan, visual projections by Judith Parrott and directed by John Binnie. Using song, story, projected imagery and dance, Fuaigh starts at a ceilidh on the Hebridean island of South Uist, leaves for the big city of Glasgow and comes back again. Performed in Gaelic and English, and celebrating the spirit of belonging.
You can link to The List theatre editor’s, page at this link where Rona answers some questions about the writing of Fuaigh. Originally commissioned as part of Home Away, the National Theatre of Scotland’s international festival of participatory arts.
“Fuaigh is a truly excellent show. Rona, Judith, John and Gillebride should be extremely proud of what is in my view a masterpiece. I would give it at least seven stars. The singing was really lovely and the stories and images warm and beautiful, but the warmth that shone brightly through the entire event, the brilliant mixing of singers with an obviously enthusiastic and captured audience during the dancing really made Fuaigh what I guess it actually means. We really did feel as though we were from South Uist ourselves! You made a big impression on us all which I am sure will live in our memories. Outstanding!” Tom Chadwick , Chairman, Enterprise Music Scotland.
Meanwhile, Grounded continues its tour of Queensland, now open at Gladstone Regional Gallery. A few of the photographs in Grounded also feature in Fuaigh with this production continuing the same theme of belonging.
The Grounded exhibition, a commission by Glasgow Life for Festival 2014 Commonwealth Games, has also shown since at An Lanntair Art Gallery in Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, as a partner event at Hebtember Festival and at The Judith Wright Centre for Contemporary Arts in Brisbane, before beginning its two-and-a -half year tour of Queensland with Flying Arts Alliance, which is now half way through its final year.
You can link to information about the exhibition at these links: Introductory panel in English and Introductory panel in Gaelic. In brief, Grounded is the creative outcome from two residencies: one in the Gaelic speaking Outer Hebrides of Scotland, and one with Australian Aboriginal Nations of the central deserts. The images, sounds, audiovisuals and stories are set side by side to draw on parallels that cross continents and nations. Two places with nothing and everything in common.
You can book Grounded, and other great shows toured by Flying Arts here: http://flyingarts.org.au/exhibitions/exhibitions-by-request/
Feedback from the comments book in Brisbane can be viewed via this link: Comments from Grounded at Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts. And for a small selection of the feedback from the same show in Glasgow, during Festival 2014, Commonwealth Games, you can find comments here.
The Colour of Language arts educational project came out of Grounded’s showing at An Lanntair in Stornoway, Scotland.
The story of my night in jail in Alice Springs whilst on artist residency for Grounded, the subsequent lack of conviction in court, and implications of this story for the local Aboriginal population, can be linked to here. Then here for the court process following arrest. And a response to the Alice Springs jail post by Professor Smith can be found here.
Three audiovisuals that were part of Grounded, (Wadlu-gnana; Freumhaichte; Who Cares for Country) can be watched here
The book that accompanied the exhibition can be found at Exhibition explanatory book
Educational workshops run at An Lanntair Gallery in conjunction with Grounded can be viewed here and here.
Joe’s educational video where I talk about the exhibition can be viewed here.
Photos of the Glasgow opening event are here. Glasgow workshops, talks and exhibition details are here. And the Digital Resources pages of the blog for further information are here and here.
An interview about my work with journalist Jim Gilchrist is on the Struileag website which can be read at Jim Gilchrist’s review or linked to here.
A review by Dr Kate Robinson can be found here. And you can listen to a cut down recording of “In Conversation: Connecting through Culture” at this Vimeo link. (16 mins.) (One of our afternoon events at Glasgow Festival 2014 showing). Or listen to some music from one of our Glasgow afternoon events here.
A radio interview with BBC Radio Scotland Voices of the Commonwealth, which explores some of the concepts behind Grounded, is now available for listening to here.
My artist biography can be linked to here and here and my personal website is here
The introductory page for the blog can be found here.
The Grounded residency diary entries begin here in Scotland and then in Australia here. This is a record of my thoughts whilst gathering the material. These thoughts and images inform the production but are not part of the final exhibition.
Some other sites that link to Grounded can be found here
Funder acknowledgements can be viewed here
Grounded 