The Highland Constellation Co-reult na G'idhealtachd

14th May 2007

A group of three artists have been chosen to work with The Royal Observatory Edinburgh and local schools to identify a new constellation in the skies above the region in a project run by The Highland Council's Exhibitions Unit to celebrate 2007, Scotland's Year of Highland Culture. The project will bring together astronomy, digital art, craft and literature.

The project, supported by the Scottish Arts Council's National Lottery partner's programme, began on the 23rd March when The Royal Observatory ran a weekend event at Carbisdale Castle in Sutherland at which the newly selected artists met with teachers and the project organizers to learn about the night sky and the Dark Sky Speuran Dorcha project.

For the Highland Constellation Co-reult na Gaidhealtachd project pupils will select dates significant to them from Highland history and will learn how to plot them in light years from the earth. They will then select a star for their area. Once each area has a star they will be joined up to identify the Highland Constellation and a competition will be held to name it.

The artists, writer Linda Cracknell, digital media artist Gill Russell and bookbinder Rachel Hazell were chosen by the children involved in the project. They were interviewed during February by a representative group from Primary Schools in and around Inverness. Schools from seven areas of the Highlands will be taking part in the project, thanks to the Highland Promise. The Highland Promise An Gealladh M'r is a pledge to young people in schools within The Highland Council area that during 2007 they will have the opportunity to take part in cultural activities they might not otherwise have access to.

Linda Cracknell will develop the stories of the stars with the schools, artist Gill Russell will run astronomy workshops with schools and work on an interpretive project to assist in identifying the constellation for viewers on the ground, and craft bookbinder Rachel Hazell will teach pupils how to make books out of the stories as well as creating the Book of the Constellation which will bring together the stories and artwork created during the project. All three artists will spend the summer and autumn working with schools and community groups across the Highlands and will also produce their own work in response to the theme.

Cawdor Primary, the Muirtown Primary cluster in Inverness, Ullapool High School, Brora Primary, schools in Portree, Broadford, Kyle, Kylelakin, and Plockton High have been preparing to welcome the first of their artists-in-residence.

Linda will begin her residencies in the seven school areas across the Highlands in May, working with children and local community groups to explore their local history and create new original stories for the Highland Constellation. The stories will go on to be included in a book, which will be hand bound by Rachel Hazell, a highly creative bookbinder and artist who explores and redefines definitions and preconceived ideas about what a book is. She will lead workshops in the schools teaching traditional methods of binding as well as creating The Book Rocket, a marvellous capsule incorporating display screens, secret drawers, star light, a window on the world, a listening station and The Highland Constellation Book, charting the progress of the project - from original stories to the final creation of a piece of original art in Glenuig.

The stories will inspire the last member of the creative trio, artist Gill Russell who works in digital media using sound and vision to create digital theatre. Recently she has collaborated with poet Brian Hill and astronomer Francisco Diego to create the CosmicSky exhibition and so is already enthusiastic and knowledgeable about astronomy. She will work with the children and the Royal Observatory Edinburgh to find the stars suggested by their stories, one star for each area of the Highlands. Each story will be associated with a date in our history, this date, when considered in Light Years, will relate to a particular star in our sky. The combination of the stars will create a new constellation to commemorate 2007, the year of Highland Culture. Gill will work closely with the Glenuig Community Association to create a work, which will remain in situ and open to the public for a year.

The Highland Constellation will be unveiled at the Garden Open Weekend at Cawdor Castle on 10th June with all three artists holding workshops.

The project will culminate in a grand final event on 2 November in Glenuig, where the newly completed installation, the Highland Constellation Book and the Book Rocket will be launched.

Iain Munro, Co-Director of Arts at the Scottish Arts Council said: "The Highland Constellation is an excellent example of a collaborative project which combines elements of the sciences, arts and culture, and education to create a unique and long lasting contribution to the Highland 2007 celebrations.

"Children across the eight Highland regions will have the opportunity to engage with three high quality professional artists and contribute their own ideas to the project, helping to stimulate an interest in cultural activity that we hope will last beyond the year of celebrations."