The Big Lament

11th October 2013

Margaret Tait’s groundbreaking film Caora Mor: The Big Sheep, 1966 is celebrated through a series of events between 30TH October and 2ND November 2013. Timespan's Digital Artist Oliver Mezger has spent two years living in the far north of Scotland methodically filming the remote Highland villages of Helmsdale and Portgower. Now, in view of this year's Clearances Bicentenary, he sheds contemporary light on themes first addressed by Tait in her films, 45 years ago.

He has assembled a unique group of musicians to perform a live soundtrack for a joint screening of Tait’s film Caora Mor: The Big Sheep, 1966 and his film Air Sgàrth - For the sake of Margaret Tait, 2013. Piper - Barnaby Brown, and Alex Neilson’s vocal ensemble The Crying Lion [www.tremblingbells.com/the-crying-lion-death-shanties/] will interpret Tait’s original soundtrack, which includes the pibroch of the Highland bagpipes ‘Lament for Donald Laggan’.

THE BIG LAMENT events reflect a resurgent interest in Margaret Tait’s films and pibroch, or piobaireachd (Gaelic), the seething bubbling stream of notes sometimes referred to as the classical music of the Scottish Highland bagpipe.

Kirsty Gunn, Peter Todd, Barnaby Brown and George and Alexandra Stewart will highlight the connections between Tait and the pibroch through four talks. Kirsty Gunn reads and discusses her award-winning novel ‘The Big Music’ published by Faber 2012, it literally takes the shape of the pibroch to reflect on the intertwined relationships of a remote Sutherland family [thethoughtfox.co.uk/the-great-bagpiping-novel/]. For the last 20 years Peter Todd has been producing international touring exhibitions of works by Margaret Tait and his series of ‘Film Poems’ programmes [www.scribd.com/collections/2326563/Film-Poems]. Barnaby Brown continues his work to champion the art of canntaireachd, the mouth music of the Highland bagpipe, and he debunks the modern myths around the pibroch through his scholarly research [barnabybrown.info & bassculture.info/]. George and Alexandra Stewart demonstrate the distinct qualities of this uniquely Scottish highland music.

THE BIG LAMENT presents a very special occasion to reconsider thepibroch, and the distinctively Scottish film and music heritage passed onto us by Margaret Tait. Filmmakers, writers and musician gather to celebrate Tait’s work, close to her former home at Slowbend. New collaborations will come together in a final procession of singing and Bagpipe playing. And, at the lovingly restored Portgower Hall, a new twist on the closing ceilidh dance gives you the opportunity to reel to Tait’s Painted Eightsome, 1970 and John MacFadyen (Stripes of the Tartan), 1970; both were completed during her time in Sutherland, before her final return home to Orkney in the 1970’s.

Event
THE BIG LAMENT produced with support from Foundation Scottish, Creative Scotland, Age Scotland, RSA, Hope Scott Trust.

30TH OCT
THE LUNCH CLUB LAMENT
with George & Alexandra Stewart part of the Luminate Creative Ageing Festival :
11am – 3.30pm : Community Centre, Dunrobin Street, Helmsdale KW8 6JX, Tickets: £5

30TH OCT & 1ST NOV
CANNTAIREACHD WORKSHOPS
with Barnaby Brown
6.30pm – 8.30pm : Timespan, Dunrobin St, Sutherland, KW8 6JA, Tickets: Free

2ND NOV
THE BIG LAMENT SYMPOSIUM
with Barnaby Brown, Peter Todd & Kirsty Gunn
10am – 1pm : Timespan, Dunrobin St, Sutherland, KW8 6JA, Tickets: Free
THE BIG LAMENT PROCESSION
with Sutherland Schools Pipe Band
2pm – 3pm : Meet at Strathnaver St, Sutherland, KW8 6JX, Tickets: Free
THE BIG LAMENT SCREENING & CEILIDH
with Alex Neilson and The Crying Lion
3.30pm – 8.30pm : Portgower Hall, Portgower, Helmsdale KW8 6HN

The events are organised by Oliver Mezger, Timespan Digital Society Artist in Residence.
Leaflet and Poster Design by Make Matter.
THE BIG LAMENT presents 16mm film prints from Arsenal Film Distribution, Berlin and the Scottish Screen Archive.

For more information visit: www.timespan.org.uk

Public Information
01431 821327, www.timespan.org.uk/thebiglament
Timespan, Dunrobin St, Sutherland, KW8 6JA