The National Trust for Scotland calls artists to create a piece of work celebrating Gaelic heritage and Canna House

The National Trust for Scotland is inviting creatives with an interest in Gaelic culture and heritage to submit a creative piece of work that celebrates the forthcoming opening of Canna House. The work should highlight or be inspired by content of the archives collected by John Lorne Campbell and Margaret Fay Shaw of Canna House. This casting call is open to all creative practitioners with an interest in oral history, sound, and Gaelic tradition.

Creatives are encouraged to use the poem Chraobh nan Ubhal (The Apple Tree), as inspiration for their piece of work. This poem particularly resonates with the Trust as it is currently working to identify the DNA of heritage apple trees planted in Canna House Garden over the past 80 years, which may be unique to the island.

The Trust would also consider submissions based on other Canna-related content from the Tobar and Dualchais archives. A recording of Chraobh nan Ubhal can be found here: https://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/track/39299?l=en and the digitised content of the collection can be accessed here: www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/the-collections.

The deadline for expression of interest is 10am on Monday 16 December 2024, with the selected artist to be informed on Friday 20 December 2024. The final piece of work must be created by 31 March 2025, with performances scheduled for Spring/Summer 2025.

A £6,000 fee and a production and travel budget of up to £1,000 for receipted expenses will be offered to the successful applicant for the creation and public sharing of the work. The form of this sharing is flexible, but it’s anticipated to be a series of artist-led public performances.

The creative output must be a response to the content in the Canna Archive. Although participants are encouraged to use the poem, any piece within the archive can be used as inspiration. The piece will be shown or played at various Trust and external properties. The intellectual property for the winning piece of work will be retained by the Trust

Participant requirements: - Proven track record of successful public commissions - Ability to work to deadline - A degree of proficiency in Gaelic language and/or proximity to Gaelic culture* *Much of the TaD archive is in Gaelic with a limited number of English translations.

To apply: Please email a short statement of interest of no more than one side of A4, outlining: - Your interest in the commission - A description of your creative practice, approach and research interests. You may also include links to your website / social media / past projects - Copy of professional indemnity and public liability certificates (£2,000,000 minimum). Please contact the Trust if this is a problem

ALTERNATIVE FORMATS – instead of a written submission, you may submit a short video proposal or audio recording of no more than five minutes.

Location: Highland

Further information: https://opportunities.creativescotland.com/opportunity/index/6c490a2c-4053-4b2d-93bb-326c1198d604/?Ref=%2Fhome%2Fsearch%2F%3Fq%3Dcanna