In 2015, I spent eight days filming on the Isle of Rum, off the West coast of Scotland. As well as resulting in the Disruptions project, the footage formed the basis for two overlapping films about the island, both of which are currently entered for a number of film festivals.

A SUMMER VOYAGE

In 1695, Martin Martin, natural philosopher and tutor to the Chief of the Clan MacLeod, toured the Western Islands of Scotland gathering data at the request of the Royal Society. Martin’s resulting Description of the West Islands of Scotland, published in 1703 and one of the earliest geographical descriptions, or chorographies, of the region, contained detailed information about the history and geography of the islands, their flora and fauna, information on the habits of customs of the inhabitants, their diseases, diets and laws and an account of second sight.

Taking various scientific instruments, filmmaker Alistair Innes Macdonald visited one of the Western Isles, the Isle of Rum, in the summer of 2015 to survey the island and update Martin’s chorography of the island.

Screenings:

BLOC STUDIOS, Sheffield Fringe, June 2016

HOME, Manchester, Artist Film Weekender, September 2016

LEMO ART GALLERY, Berlin, April/May 2017

UNDER THE MOUNTAIN

A companion piece to A Summer Voyage. A study of the landscape of the Isle of Rum and the relationship between people and place.