Dùdan is a new publication by Caitlin Ferguson, produced as part of a commission with ATLAS Arts this past year.
Join us for a launch night at the Skye Gathering Hall side bar, at 6pm on 10 September for readings, drinks, bar snacks and chat. Discover more about the journey behind Dùdan, and raise a celebratory toast to the voices of Skye past, present, and future. This event is for people aged 18 and over.
About Dùdan
Following an open call for an artist to develop an ambitious new art project that delves into histories of publication making, and the continuing culture of self-publishing, Caitlin was commissioned in 2025.
The resulting paper, Dùdan, came about after exploring historical publications from across Skye and Lochalsh, including the archives of the Clarion of Skye, the island’s first self-published newspaper, which ran from 1951 – 57. Looking through old headlines offered a glimpse into how Skye once saw itself – the stories it chose to tell, the hopes it held, and the language it used to express itself.
One headline in particular, “Record Number of Visitors to Skye”, brought a question: what would follow that same headline now? Written with optimism and encouragement, it celebrated growth and reassured islanders that if they “remain Highland hosts and hostesses in the true sense, the visitors will continue coming to our ‘Heiland Hame’.” Living in and experiencing Skye today, it is impossible not to wonder what story that headline might tell now.
Dùdan is a wee paper built around that idea. A collection of local voices were invited to respond to headlines from the past without seeing the original articles. The result is a series of reflections, stories, poems, artwork, observations and imaginative responses that sit somewhere between conversation and archive.
Some pieces follow the style of journalism, while others wander into entirely different territory, but together they form a call and response across time – a dialogue between the Skye of yesterday and voices of today. Dùdan is an attempt to ask not only what has changed, but how we choose to tell our stories now.
In keeping with Dùdan’s ethos, your local friendly newsboy, Daniel Cullen will also be distributing the paper in local hotspots across Skye on 10 September, with all the warmth and wit of the original Clarion, blended with a healthy dose of contemporary charm.
HOW TO GET A COPY
Echoing the ways in which The Clarion was originally distributed Dùdan, will be available to pick up for free in stockists across Skye, Raasay and Lochalsh, including ATLAS Arts, Armadale Stores, ATLAS Arts, Bog Myrtle, Cafe Cuil, Create, Kyle Pharmacy, Macintyres, Market Kitchen, Raasay Stores, Rankins Supermarket, Skye and Lochalsh Archive Centre, Staffin Stores, The Hungry Gull, Top Shop Broadford, and Waystone Books, between 10 September and 10 October 2026.
Copies can be mailed out should you live far away or want to send a copy to someone who would enjoy it, you can order on our online shop for £3 (to cover postage) and it will be available to view on ATLAS’s website for free from 10 October 2026.