First There is a Mountain | Katie Paterson

ATLAS Arts is one of twenty-five coastal arts organisations around the UK to feature First There is a Mountain by Katie Paterson. It involves the creation of a set of ‘buckets and spades’ in the form of world mountains, from which the public will build mountains of sand across the UK coastline and play out the world’s natural geography against a series of tidal times. Each pail is a scale model of five of earth’s mountains: Mount Kilimanjaro (Africa), Mount Shasta (N. America), Mount Fuji (Asia), Stromboli (Europe), and Uluru (Oceania), nested together in a set.

Ragadawn (An t-Eilean Sgitheanach, 57.5º T) | Caroline Bergvall

Ragadawn is a sunrise vocal performance to be performed outdoors from the last hours of night until the very early morning. A multisensory composition for two voices (spoken and sung), multiple languages and electronic frequencies to accompany and celebrate the rising of day.

EGLANTINE | MARGARET SALMON

18 May – 01 July 2018

Eglantine, 2016, is the debut feature film by Glasgow-based artist Margaret Salmon. Installed in Dunvegan Castle, Eglantine, is a beautiful meditative and enchanting account of a young girl’s real and fantastical adventure in a remote forest one evening. Through the film and nature study, we follow a girl and her encounters…

Misty Isle Fish Slice | Will Maclean

ATLAS Arts commissioned Will Maclean to create a limited edition artwork inspired by his personal connection to the Isle of Skye. Maclean’s school holidays were spent with his grandparents in Kyelakin after his parents moved to Inverness when he was three. This silver fish slice evokes his memories of the…

Windblown Grass Silk Scarf | Caroline Dear

As part of ATLAS Editions, Caroline Dear was commissioned to create a limited edition artwork that reflects her long-held interest in the plant life of the Isle of Skye. Dear was inspired by Britain’s only deciduous grass, known as purple moor-grass, Molinia caerulea in Latin and Fianach in Gaelic. Dear…

ATLAS Arts & WASPS Joint Residency | Martin Campbell

ATLAS Arts and WASPS Artists Studios collaborated to offer a six-week residency to Martin Campbell at The Admiral’s House, in the Isle of Skye, marking the opening of the new addition to WASPS’ portfolio of artist studios across Scotland. The Admirals House is a former black house donated to WASPS by the…

Eilean Fuinn | Richard Skelton

07 – 23 September 2017

Eilean Fuinn is an ATLAS Arts commission by Richard Skelton. Installed in the Scorrybreac boathouse, Portree, this evolving sound work comprises four discrete channels of sound, each repeating over long durations (between one and two hours) but at variance with one another. It will therefore subtly change over the course of its installation.

CÒIG SGIATHAN | FIVE WINGS

26 June 2017 – 31 March 2018

ATLAS Arts has collaborated with local walking groups and artists to curate a series of walks around the Isle of Skye and Lochalsh. This programme connects community, art and the environment through a series of walks designed to highlight different areas of Skye and Lochalsh and introduce participants to the work of local artists and how the environment inspires their creativity.

CLIMAVORE: On Tidal Zones | Cooking Sections

14 – 24 September 2017

Commissioned by ATLAS Arts, CLIMAVORE: On Tidal Zones looks at forms of eating that address environmental regeneration through the promotion of ingredients that proactively respond to the new ecological challenges of the Scottish waters.

Contemporary Memorial // Staffin Community Trust

ATLAS Arts is working with the Staffin Community Trust (Urras An Taobh Sear) to produce a series of pilot commissions with a view to creating a contemporary memorial to acknowledge the nineteenth-century crofters’ land struggle in the Staffin area. A central aim of the commissions is for the artists to contribute to the awareness and understanding of the local community of the potentially positive impacts and benefits of a commissioned public artwork/contemporary memorial.

A Work for the North Atlantic

24 August 2016 – 24 August 2017

This is a year-long project that began with ATLAS working with London-based Artangel, to bring a work by internationally acclaimed artist Bethan Huws to Skye. Singing for the Sea, a film-work made in 1993, documents a group of eight female Bulgarian singers known collectively as the Bistritsa Babi performing traditional songs on Sugar Sands, Northumberland, on the coast of the North Sea.

Ceumannan // Footsteps | Anne Martin and Jason Singh

Ceumann // Footsteps brings together contemporary sound artist Jason Singh with Skye-based Gaelic musician Anne Martin in an intercultural exchange exploring the artists’ personal biographies. Drawing from parallels in the landscapes, storytelling of the Isle of Skye and Northern India and the complementary harmonic traditions of Gaelic and Indian Raga they co-created new musical compositions.

Open Call for Artists // Crofters’ Memorial

APPLICATION PROCESS CLOSED. Applications invited from artists interested in exploring and developing a contemporary memorial to acknowledge the crofters’ uprising in Staffin, Isle of Skye, in the 1880s. We are seeking artists who will challenge existing perceptions of what a memorial to a historical event can be and demonstrate imagination, boldness, and sensitivity.

Dualachas Chroitearachd Cairt-Chluiche | Cultural Crofting Playing Cards

ATLAS has worked with artist Sharon Quigley and graphic designer Andy Fielding to develop a set of playing cards that explore the interconnectivity of crofting, our culture and landscape.

The Call of Mist | John Akomfrah

08 – 15 October 2016

In October 2016, ATLAS Arts presented John Akomfrah’s The Call of Mist (2012 Redux) in the very unique and poignant location of Dunvegan Castle. The short film was originally made in 1998 and set in the Isle of Skye, a place the filmmaker has visited since childhood – bringing the work back to Skye was central to this presentation. Akomfrah’s The Call of Mist is a vivid reflection on loss, memory and media and was commissioned by BBC TV.

Land Line // Five Walks In Skye | Caroline Dear

12 – 16 September 2016

Land Line was a series of five walks over five days that offered a unique chance to explore our relationship with the environment. Led by Skye-based artist Caroline Dear, each featured a specially invited collaborator and encouraged observation and conversation.

Travelling the Archive

Travelling the Archive was a long-term project with artist Nicky Bird aimed at reimagining a time and place in Kyleakin’s past, for future audiences and current residents. Bird sought to share and make accessible the 1960s heritage of the close community of Kyleakin in the Isle of Skye, through a series of 35mm slide images taken during this period by seasonal visitor Miss Joan Wilcock. Utilising the Joan Wilcock Collection held in the Skye and Lochalsh Archive Centre, a programme incorporating an outdoor projection exhibition, a series of memory walks, schools workshops and more were delivered as part of this project.

Place of Pillars | Ruth Barker

Ruth Barker’s Place of Pillars (2016) was conceived as a contemporary dedication to the crofters’ uprising and commissioned as part of a wider collaboration between ATLAS Arts and the Staffin Community Trust to create a memorial to the uprising through local stories and shared memories. It was performed live in both Skye and in Edinburgh as part of the 2016 Edinburgh Art Festival, and is also available to listen to and download online.

Skye and Lochalsh Talent Development Initiative

In 2014 ATLAS Arts and partners, Seall, Aros, Sabhal Mòr Ostaig and Fèisean nan Gàidheal received funding from Creative Scotland to offer funding to artists, performers and producers to engage in new processes or explore new ways of working and encouraged them to reach for the next level. The main aim of the bursaries was to offer artistic and…

GATHER | CONNECT | INSPIRE

GATHER | CONNECT | INSPIRE is an annual two day symposium which brings together a range of creatives based in the Highlands and Islands along with a variety of creative professionals from across the U.K. The event aims to encourage a unique opportunity to connect with and extend creative networks, whilst gaining invaluable insight and advice. Past events have brought organisations such as LUX Scotland, Future Positive, TRAKKE, Eigg Box and Document Scotland to the Isle of Skye to ensure a diverse selection of creative practice are represented from which connections and inspiration can be drawn.

NEO NEO // Extreme Past

01 – 17 July 2016

NEO NEO // Extreme Past, was an offsite ATLAS project. An exhibition featuring artists In the Shadow of the Hand, Niall Macdonald, Sophie Morrish, Bobby Niven and Hanna Tuulikki, the project built on a curatorial relationship between Emma Nicolson, ATLAS director, and artist/curator Gayle Meikle.

ATELIER, Skye

09 – 13 May 2016

Atelier, Skye was a three-day charrette (an intensive participatory group that engages a common enquiry) wherein a group of artists, curators, academic researchers and members of the local community worked with six common research ‘objects’ located in the north of the Isle of Skye (Trotternish, Waternish and Duirinish). The charrette aimed to transform participants’ understanding of what material research is, what it can be and of who/what might participate in it.

SCREEN-IT

SCREEN-IT is ATLAS’ film and moving image programme, showcasing the best in artist moving image from across the globe. The programme aims to foster a critical forum, encouraging engaged discourse around the themes explored at each event. SCREEN-IT is a regular monthly event during the winter season, which has expanded to encompass large-scale screening events in partnership with Lisson Gallery, Lux Scotland, Dunvegan Castle, Skye Live and Transit Arts.

Landshapes | David Lemm

29 September 2015 – 20 February 2016

Commissioned to create a new ATLAS Edition, artist David Lemm used the unique landscape of the Isle of Skye as the basis for his research. Embarking upon an exploration of the iconic Cuillins of Skye, Lemm ascended Sgurr Alasdair – the islands highest peak. Documenting his journey and considering the mountain as a whole, and not just the summit, Lemm created a series of screen-printed postcard which references a different part of the climb and the journey as it unfolded.

Within View | René Jansen

27 July 2015 – 20 February 2016

Commissioned to create a new ATLAS Edition, North Uist-based photographer René Jansen looked to the iconic landscape of the Isle of Skye as the basis for his research. Inspired by his surroundings, but seeking to find an ‘alternative, inconspicuous beauty that exists within the wider scenic splendor of the Skye landscape’, Jansen created three photographic prints in a limited edition of 25, giving a unique perspective of ubiquitous locations on the Isle of Skye.

Broad Reach

Broad Reach was a two-year curatorial residency, led by ATLAS Arts director Emma Nicolson at Taigh Chearsabhagh in North Uist. The project was initiated to develop a range of cross-island programming which would bring work of an international standing to a broader audience in the Hebrides.

Women of the Hill | Hanna Tuulikki

31 October 2015

Women of the Hill, was a sell-out performance by artist and composer Hanna Tuulikki. The performance, presented by ATLAS Arts at sunset on Samhain (31 October 2015) was created specifically for the extraordinary archaeological site at High Pasture Cave, Kilbride, Glen Suardal, Isle of Skye – taking the audience on a song-journey evoking three worlds: Past, Present and Otherworld.

BBC Ten Pieces | David Lemm

09 – 13 February 2015

Participating in the BBC’s nationwide project Ten Pieces, ATLAS worked with Edinburgh-based artist David Lemm to produce a creative response to the project. Working collaboratively with pupils at Portree Primary School, David encouraged an animated response, created by the children, to the Benjamin Britten’s Storm Interlude from the opera, Peter Grimes. The animation was selected to be shown at the BBC Proms at Royal Albert Hall, London in 2015.

Talking Art Series

05 May 2012 – 25 October 2014

Talking Art Series was a programme of artists’ talks presented as a Saturday afternoon lecture series in Portree. The talks brought a variety of artists, with a range of practices, to the Isle of Skye to discuss their creative approaches to making work – with a particular focus on making work in the public realm. Over the course of two years, ATLAS worked with a number of artists such as Nicky Bird, Chris Dooks, Graham Fagan and Frances Priest to encourage critical engagement with contemporary art.

GENERATION // Are you LOCATIONALIZED | Joanne Tatham and Tom O’Sullivan

06 August – 10 October 2014

Are you LOCATIONALIZED by Joanne Tatham and Tom O’Sullivan was commissioned as a dual-sited cross-island project between the Hebridean islands of Skye and North Uist. Are you LOCATIONALIZED was ATLAS’ contribution to the 2014 nationwide project GENERATION, a major exhibition programme which showcased some of the best and most significant artists to have emerged from Scotland over the preceding twenty-five years.

Temporary Spaces, Edible Places | Keg de Souza

12 May – 16 June 2014

During early summer 2014, Australian artist Keg de Souza was artist-in-residence between Kilmuir and Linicro. Drawing on her practice investigating spatial politics, Keg developed the project Temporary Spaces, Edible Places with pupils in Kilmuir Primary School.

ATLAS Arts Café

ATLAS Arts Café was a broadcast project on community radio station Cuillin FM. A monthly programme of talks, interviews and discussion with local, national and international artists. Each episode sought to share insight into how artists make work and approach developing their individual practice. Podcasts of each episode are available to listen to on the online archive.

Colm Cille’s Spiral // Convocation

12 August – 01 November 2013

Colm Cille’s Spiral, a series of contemporary art and literature commissions and dialogues rethinking the legacy of sixth century Irish monk Colm Cille (St Columba). For this project, ATLAS worked with Glasgow School of Art and others to produce Convocation a residency period and exhibition with a group of scholars and artists, making work which engaged with the extreme past.

Spincycle-Skye

Spincycle-Skye, a year-long multi-disciplinary project looking at culture through performance, music, visual arts and crafts. Drawing from a common theme of spin, ATLAS commissioned an array of artists to explore different projects inspired by all things that revolve, turn, rotate, mirror and repeat.

The Nation // Live-Faith

The Nation // Live-Faith, a joint project between ATLAS and the National Galleries of Scotland, asked young people in Skye to explore the theme of faith using William Hole’s mural depiction of St Columba Addressing the Picts [on Skye], 597 AD (1895-1901) as their inspiration. Through a series of workshops and development sessions, the young people were encouraged to think about the power of miracles to shape belief and to consider issues such as migration and origin – asking questions such as “What would a modern day miracle look like?”

Fernweh

02 – 03 May 2013

In 2013, ATLAS was invited to be a collaborating organisation on the project Fernweh. Led by Huntly-based Deveron Arts, Fernweh sought to explore notions of travel and remoteness, highlighting the intricacies of travel and hospitality within community and socially engaged art, particularly in a rural context.

còmhlan bheanntan | a company of mountains | Alec Finlay

Alec Finlay’s còmhlan bheanntan | a company of mountains was a commission that saw the artist produce a variety of poems, photos, essays and ‘word-mntn’ drawings. Taking inspiration from Sorley Maclean’s poem ‘Ceann Loch Aeoineart’ Alec selected fourteen sites on the Isle of Skye to explore the mountains, history, culture and mythology of the island.

Belief | Thomson and Craighead

Belief by Thomson and Craighead is a documentary artwork exploring the notion of belief through information sourced online. The development of the artwork stemmed from a piece of found-footage discussing the ‘faerie flag’ – an artefact steeped in mystery and myth, held at Dunvegan Castle in Skye. From this starting point, a whole series of fragmented broadcasts about belief systems and differing ideologies are presented. This work was the final installment in the artists’ Flat Earth Trilogy and was supported by ATLAS, Creative Scotland, New Media Scotland (Alt-w fund) and Animate Projects.

Peace Camp | Cultural Olympiad 2012

23 July – 04 October 2012

Peace Camp, a project initiated as part of the 2012 Cultural Olympiad celebrating Britain and Northern Ireland’s love poetry and extensive coastline. ATLAS served as the local partner on the project which was a collaboration between theatre director Deborah Warner, actor Fiona Shaw and creative producer Artichoke. Working in Portree High School, the project saw pupils create a tent in response to ‘place’ incorporated peat-covered poetry panels; love tokens made from trees native to Skye and ropes made from local grasses, rushes and moss entwined with poetry tags, with the help of local artist Caroline Dear and the 2012 Sabhal mor Ostaig‘s poet-in-residence, Padraig MacAoidh.

Bàta Brèagha // Bonnie Boat | Zoë Walker and Neil Bromwich

03 – 10 September 2011

Bàta Brèagha // Bonnie Boat was a large and ambitious programme of events throughout late summer in 2011. The centrepiece was Zoë Walker and Neil Bromwich’s Celestial Radio: a sailing boat created by the artists covered in over 60,000 mirrored tiles, which broadcast songs and stories.

SCALE

24 July – 25 September 2010

SCALE took place over a busy summer season in 2010. Working with guest curator Steven MacKenzie, ATLAS and MacKenzie commissioned several site-specific sculptures by artists and creative practitioners based in Skye and Lochalsh. The resulting sculptures were displayed in a public exhibition in the grounds of Clan Donald Skye.

Early Warning Signs | Ellie Harrison

ATLAS has adopted one of Ellie Harrison’s Early Warning Signs for 2017. Early Warning Signs is a project in which Ellie produced four signs for the Two Degrees festival in 2011. The signs ‘aimed to act as beacons, utilising the brazen marketing techniques of capitalism, not as a tool to sell us more, but as a tool to remind us of the consequences of our consumption’.