Coasts and Waters 2020/21 - video collections

https://www.nature.scot/funding-and-projects/coasts-and-waters-202021-video-collections

NatureScot and the Year of Coasts and Waters 2020/21

Scotland’s Year of Coasts and Waters took place in 2020 and was extended into 2021 as a result of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on many activities. Despite these challenges the themed year led by VisitScotland was able to inspire both visitors and locals alike to explore and experience our unrivalled shores and waterways. At NatureScot we led a programme of activities to celebrate the year and help connect more people with our coasts and waters. Explore our projects below.

Message in a Bottle / Brath sa Bhuideal

Message in a Bottle is a musical composition developed by acclaimed traditional musician Ingrid Henderson in collaboration with NatureScot for the Year of Coast and Waters. The piece explores the incredible journeys of marine wildlife and seabirds, our dependence on the seas and the exchanges of language and culture around our coast, while highlighting the impact of climate change on the world’s oceans. Using a combination of music, song, Gaelic language, film and animation, Ingrid’s creative talent fuses with NatureScot’s wealth of scientific knowledge and research to celebrate Scotland’s unique marine environment.

The commission premiered at Celtic Connections in 2020 and, whilst the Covid-19 pandemic curtailed plans for a summer tour, Ingrid joined NatureScot’s Head of Marine Ecosystems in July 2020 for an online performance and discussion about the inspiration behind her work.

Message in a Bottle has now been released as an album and a Scottish tour is set for 2022. Watch this space for more information on dates.

Message in a Bottle animation.
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Duration
04:42
Full version of the Message in a Bottle music and animation commissioned by NatureScot for the Year of Coasts and Waters 2020/21, with music by Ingrid Henderson and animation by Cat Bruce.
An t-Seòladair aig Rubha Dà Chuain / The Sailor at the Point of Two Oceans
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Duration
05:24

Port àlainn bhon choimisean-ciùil againn airson Bliadhna nan Cladaichean is nan Uisgeachan còmhla ris an neach-ciùil chliuiteach Ingrid NicEanruig.

Lockdown Concert 2020
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Duration
35:40

We hosted a Message in a Bottle, Facebook Live event, as a virtual taster of music, chat, film and animation.

In Tune with Nature

NatureScot and Fèis Rois partnered up on a competition to inspire people to connect with nature through music for the Year of Coasts and Waters. Entrants aged 16 and over were invited to compose a piece of music inspired by one of 10 National Nature Reserves across Scotland. The competition was judged by a panel of well-known faces from the Scottish music industry, including Julie Fowlis; Vic Galloway; Gill Maxwell; and Karine Polwart.

Winners received a £500 cash prize along with the opportunity to collaborate with a professional filmmaker to make a film on the National Nature Reserve which inspired their music. These films are all now complete and ready for you to enjoy below!

Rum NNR - Ross Hull
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Duration
03:08
"Thinking of times I've seen Mull on the ferry to Lochboisdale brought to mind imagery of a simple life, free of daily concerns, far removed from a life in national lockdown! The mood lifts in the final section, a reminder that I'd see Mull again, and how grateful I feel to live in a country of such natural beauty."
Taynish NNR - Malin Lewis
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Duration
04:13
"My piece is made up of field recordings of the sea, a soundscape using smallpipes, fiddle and whistle, and an improvised Piobaireachd-style tune composed in response to my sensorial memories of Taynish as a child."
Taynish NNR - Roo Geddes and Neil Sutcliffe
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Duration
05:26
"Our piece, 'Dealan-Dé', is inspired by the extremely rare marsh-fritillary butterfly. Taynish National Nature Reserve is one of the very few places in Scotland where this beautiful creature can be seen."
Tentsmuir NNR - Barney Bridges
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Duration
03:46
Barney Bridges is a Belgian musician living in Glasgow. His passion for music started at the age of 10 when he first picked up a guitar. Since then his growing fascination has led him to become a luthier creating unique instruments for other musicians.
Isle of May NNR - Catriona Price
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Duration
05:14
"‘May Alone' is a conversation between the Isle of May’s breeding seabirds in this busy month, and our frustrations during the Covid pandemic. As humans miss being able to visit places where we receive solace, the isle’s seabirds may benefit from the lack of visitors. We need nature. But does nature need us?"
Loch Leven NNR - Beth Malcolm
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Duration
05:06
"Some 400 years ago, Mary, Queen of Scots spent a year in the now ruinous castle on the island at Loch Leven. This song imagines a conversation between Mary and her lady in waiting as, inspired by curlews viewed from her window, she dreams of escape."
Noss NNR - Sarah MacNeil
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Duration
04:24
"I wanted to reflect both the outstanding beauty of the scenery and the need to protect the ecosystem at Noss. The music aims to reflect the Island's isolation, clifftop beauty and soaring birds, yet also the sadness should the delicate balance on this little piece of paradise be lost."
Rum NNR - Iona Lane
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Duration
04:08
"'Western Tidal Swell' is inspired by the Isle of Rum's rich nature, bothies, beaches, conservation and history. Along with a folktale from Edwin Waugh’s ‘The Limping Pilgrim’, about a Rum-native, banished to Coll, who pined to drink water from Rum's Old Kilmory Well until the day he closed his eyes forever."
Beinn Eighe NNR - Marie Fielding
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Duration
03:22

"In Tune with Nature has been incredibly inspiring and emotional. The film captures Beinn Eighe's shapes, shadows, movement and stillness. My composition reflects time, past, present and future, which nature also does, in its own special way."

Creag Meagaidh NNR - Charlie Grey
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Duration
03:16
"All my life I've been drawn to the hills around Fort Augustus – to write about Creag Meagaidh was not something I did lightly. I feel privileged to contribute a piece of music connected with such an incredible part of the highlands."
Forvie NNR - James Lindsay
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Duration
04:23
"'Gaither' reflects Forvie's changing role through history in supporting its inhabitants and visitors. People have been living and harvesting along this coastline since the Mesolithic period. In the 12th century, Forvie was a thriving farming village until advancing sands made it unsustainable to live there."

Related Links

Plunge In! Coasts and Waters Community Fund

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