SIX OF SCOTLAND’S ACCLAIMED WRITERS SHARE THEIR LOVE LETTERS TO EUROPE
CHITRA RAMASWAMY – KAPKA KASSABOVA – LOUISE WELSH – STEF SMITH – WILLIAM DALRYMPLE – WILLIAM LETFORD – COLLABORATE ON MESSAGE FROM THE SKIES, EDINBURGH’S HOGMANAY 19.
In a unique cross artform collaboration with ten of Scotland’s best artists, designers and musicians, six Scottish or Scotland based writers will pen a love letter to Europe. Each will be projected onto a building in Scotland’s capital, the world’s first UNESCO City of Literature, at the start of the year in which we may leave the European Union.
Message from the Skies is presented as part of Edinburgh’s Hogmanay 19 which leads with a passionate celebration of Scotland’s shared cultural, historic and social connections with Europe.
This year Underbelly for Edinburgh’s Hogmanay and the Edinburgh International Book Festival are realising the vision of six writers across six sites – Leith Library, Bongo Club in the Cowgate, The National Monument of Scotland on Calton Hill, Tech Cube at Summerhall, Leith Custom House on the Shore and Tron Kirk in Hunter Square. Working with Suzy Glass, each writer is collaborating with visual artists, projection artists and composers – a total of 16 creatives – to bring their letters to life and write them large on the walls of Edinburgh.
Each writer has written a love letter to Europe marking Scotland’s shared historic, social and cultural connections with this family of nations in a creative response to the context of our times.
Chitra Ramaswamy – Emma Pollock – Daniel Warren – Custom House, Leith
Guardian columnist and author, Chitra writes a comment piece about her childhood in London, holidaying in Spain, moving to Edinburgh as an adult, discussing her identity as a second-generation immigrant in the UK and in Europe.
Daniel Warren will work with archive and live action footage to tell Chitra’s story; the film will have an accompanying track composed and performed by Emma Pollock.
Kapka Kassabova – Bright Side Studios – Pippa Murphy – The Scottish Monument, Calton Hill
Bulgarian born, Highland based writer of narrative non-fiction Kapka writes about the origins of Europa, touching on deep time, mythology and legend. She explores how Europe is more permanent and enduring than detailed political ideas that dominate our everyday world.
Founded by Susanna Murphy and Cristina Spiteri, Bright Side Studios is creating images from Kapka’s writing which come into focus before dissolving into nothing. Pippa Murphy brings together a soundtrack which fuses her music with found audio inspired by ancient Greek, Mesopotamian and Gaelic female chanting.
Louise Welsh – Emlyn Firth – Tech Cube, Summerhall
Glasgow-based author of short stories and psychological thrillers, Louise has developed a poetic statement about our shared origins and culture, accompanied by a series of words translated between Scots and European mainland languages which demonstrate that though our dialects are different we can still be understood.
Emlyn Firth will use a typographic approach to illustrate Louise’s work, playing with themes of language and communication.
Stef Smith – MJ McCarthy – Eleanor Meredith – Bongo Club, Cowgate
Stef is one of Scotland’s most exciting young playwrighting talents, here she writes a poetic letter that charts the decline of a relationship, an emotion-laden narrative where celebration and excess collide.
MJ McCarthy’s sweeping ambient score and Eleanor Meredith’s saturated watercolours come together to bring Stef’s letter to life.
William Dalrymple – RJ McConnell – Double Take Projections – Tron Kirk
One of the world’s leading historical writers, William considers the Scots’ historical relationship with mainland Europe, highlighting significant archeological discoveries both at home and further afield to demonstrate the deep and long bonds that connect us.
Composer RJ McConnell is creating a jigsaw of musical voices reflecting the different places and eras Dalrymple covers in his writing, while Double Take Projections is bringing William’s story to life through animation.
William Letford – James Houston – Leith Library
Scottish poet Billy writes a lyrical letter full of nostalgia and humour to a past love with whom he explored Italy as a younger man.
Billy’s piece will be brought to life by James Houston, who is developing a typographical approach that responds to the rhythm and pace of Billy’s writing.
Ed Bartlam & Charlie Wood, directors of Edinburgh’s Hogmanay, said:
Over two hundred years ago, Burns penned the poem to Mrs Dunlop that inspired this project and wrote that “something in us never dies, on [our] frail uncertain state, hang matters of eternal weight”. So it’s wonderful at the start of 2019 to invite these amazing artists to Hogmanay and ask them to collaborate with other artists and respond to this “matter” and explore our ties to Europe by writing, animating and composing a love letter. These letters celebrate our deep, eternal and passionate connections with Europe and it’s exciting to be able to share them with Scotland and the world as they come to celebrate Hogmanay in our capital city.