The opening of a new exhibition at the Orkney Museum takes place on Saturday, February 4.
Recent Drawings by Rik Hammond is a collection of abstract drawings that challenge the viewer to use their own imagination to interpret the images on display.
Originally from Hastings in East Sussex, Rik studied Fine Art at Falmouth School of Art and Design in Cornwall. He lived in Hartlepool, in the north east of England, before moving to Orkney in 2004.
Rik, who lives in St Margaret’s Hope, is currently the Orkney World Heritage Site artist in residence, but the drawings in this exhibition are not from that project, as Rik explains:
“The work that I’ve chosen for the show here at the Orkney Museum is a brief snapshot of (mostly small-scale) drawings made between 2010 and 2012.
“I work in a variety of media, and in particular I draw extensively – commonly using fairly traditional materials such as paper, ink and pencil. My drawings are nearly always abstract and often automatic. I enjoy the immediacy and intimacy of working on paper. I rarely title drawings and I routinely work in series.
“I try to draw every day – often starting with a blank sheet of paper (loose or in a drawing book) and little, if any, specific direction in mind, perhaps just the type of pen or pencil I like the idea of starting with.
“For me drawing is an instinctive activity akin to the process of thinking. I tend to approach drawing in an experimental way, often treating it as an automatist exercise. I enjoy it when a drawing feels like it is beginning to direct its own route. Enquiry, chance and experiment tend to be the basis for the decisions I make whilst producing work – although recurring motifs, memories and shapes commonly emerge.”
Recent Drawings by Rik Hammond is on show from February 4 - 25. The Orkney Museum is open Monday – Saturday, 10.30am – 12.30pm, 1.30 – 5pm. Admission is free.
The artist will be at the Orkney Museum on Saturday, February 4, from 10.30am – 12.30pm to talk about his work.
Following recent press reports that courts across Scotland were at risk of closure, Orkney MSP Liam McArthur has sought assurance from the Justice Secretary regarding the future of Kirkwall Sheriff Court. The reponse provides some level of reassurance, but raises questions as to the future of jury trials in the islands.
Commenting on the letter, Mr McArthur said:
“I am pleased to hear that the Scottish Court Service sees the closure of Kirkwall Sheriff Court as neither ‘desirable’ nor ‘practical’ and that such an option will not form any part of the Scottish Court Services future plans. What does concern me though, is that they go on to question whether there is a need for jury trials to be held in Orkney.
“With the march towards centralisation already underway in the form of plans for a single, national Police Service and Fire and Rescue Service, any downgrading of Kirkwall Sheriff Court will raise alarm bells in the islands. Providing fair, local access to justice cannot be compromised and any erosion of that through creeping centralisation will be fiercely resisted.
“Given the SNP government’s majority at Holyrood, assurances that no changes will be made without the agreement of MSPs will provide little comfort to people in Orkney. What is needed is a firm commitment from the Justice Secretary that access to justice will not be made more difficult for islands residents and there will be no downgrading of Kirkwall Sheriff Court.”
Historic Scotland has launched a national drive to recognise and celebrate the young “Heritage Heroes” who give their time selflessly to protect, maintain and support the nation’s historic environment.
In conjunction with the Young Scot scheme, the agency is asking people to nominate deserving youngsters for this prestigious award, which joins 12 other categories in the annual contest that culminates in a lavish prize-giving ceremony in April.
Now in its seventh year, the Young Scot Awards celebrate the outstanding and unsung achievements of Scotland’s young people. The Awards aim to counter the often negative perception of today’s youth, and seek inspirational individuals aged eleven to 26 who have a positive difference by improving their community.
Last year’s “Heritage Hero” winner was Jamie O’Rourke, who developed, managed and conducted history tours in Falkirk town centre. Jamie worked with youngsters aged ten to 16 to increase awareness of the town’s heritage, and used his “Ghostly Guides” service to deliver ghost walks using drama and interactive techniques to local people and foreign visitors.
The categories which join the “Heritage Hero” award range through sport and arts to health and volunteering. Three finalists in each category will be selected, and invited to attend an awards ceremony at the Hilton Hotel in Glasgow, on April 26th, when the winners will be revealed.
Those wishing to nominate their own “Heritage Hero” can find full details on the Young Scot web site, at www.youngscot.org. Nominations can be made until February 26th, 2012.
Three more local projects have been granted support from the latest round of LEADER funding. This means that sixty projects in the county have now secured funding over the last three years, bringing the total funding to around £1.74million.
The latest projects are:
Island Community Regeneration – Phase 2 - The project builds on the phase one LEADER project of providing part-time Community Development Officers (CDO’s) for the four most fragile islands of Orkney – Flotta, Hoy, North Ronaldsay and Papa Westray – who are working on producing island development plans, by providing them with additional support.
Creation of a Public Area at Palace Village in Birsay –This project will see the creation of a community space with parking facilities as well as a picnic and general seating area. It is hoped this will increase tourist activity and help to sustain current businesses in the area by making the best use of the available land.
Westray Heritage Trust - This will help support the digitisation of the Westray Heritage Trust’s archive of photographic material and its subsequent link to a genealogical database.
Orkney Islands Council Convener Stephen Hagan said: “The latest round of projects has shown once again that commitment, creativity and innovation are abundant within our local community groups and organisations.
“Many of the projects that received funding in the early stages of LEADER are now nearing completion and it is a joy to see the positive effect that they have had on our communities, both for local people and for visitors.”
Alister Brown, OIC’s Development Officer for the Orkney LEADER Programme, said: “There are still some LEADER funds available, but the scheme will wind up in 2013. Projects need to be up and running by then in order to ensure they spend all of their funding by the cut off point at the end of 2014. So it’s more important than ever that anyone curious about LEADER and whether their project could benefit gets in contact soon to discuss their options.”
Anyone interested in LEADER should contact Alister Brown at the Council on (01856) 87 35 35 ext 2855 or by email at
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, or visit the Orkney LEADER website www.orkneycommunities.co.uk/LEADER
A public meeting will be held next month to look at setting up a ‘Friends of Camoran’ voluntary group to champion the cause of children and young people currently looked after and accommodated by the Council.
The group would be responsible for carrying out some fundraising activities, contributing to the planned new facility and raising public awareness of the issues affecting the youngsters.
Camoran is a four bed residential unit for children from birth to 18, who are looked after and accommodated by Orkney Islands Council. Councillors agreed last year to fund the construction of a replacement facility at Papdale Farm, a six bed unit to accommodate 4 to 5 children and young people of various ages and needs, their visitors and staff.
Sheila Graham, Team Manager at the facility, said: “The ‘Friends of Camoran’ group would be the link between the facility and the community. They would help to reduce the stigma for children and young people in care and work to ensure that they are provided with the same opportunities that are available to their peers.
“We would welcome members from all walks of life, who would have an interest in promoting the aims of the group and participating in its activities.”
The meeting takes place on Thursday February 23 in the St Magnus Centre between 5.30pm and 6.30pm. If you are interested in joining the group but can’t attend the meeting then contact Nicole Sturla by email at
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or by phone on 873135
The health of Orkney’s young music scene continues to flourish with a hat-trick of young brass players selected for the National Children’s Orchestra of Scotland.
Kirkwall Grammar School pupil Matthew Anderson, trumpet player, has been chosen for the fourth year running. He’ll be joined by Robert Norris (French horn) also from KGS, and Erina Brown (trombone) from Stromness Academy.
Orkney pupils now make up one quarter of the orchestra’s brass section.
Orcadian representation doesn’t stop there though as, in the strings, violin players Bea Watson from Stromness Academy and Amy Le-Mar from KGS have secured places, along with violinist Raqan Blance (Stromness Academy) who will join the training orchestra.
A further three pupils from Orkney will also enroll this year at the Royal Scottish Conservatoire, formerly the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, to study music. They are KGS pupils Eric Linklater and Matthew Wilkinson and Stromness Academy pupil James Watson.
Erik and James will be studying traditional fiddle and Matthew will study oboe and composition.
Vice-Chair of the Council’s Education and Leisure Services Committee, Steven Heddle, said: “These young musicians are just the latest in a long line of young people from Orkney who’ve achieved remarkable things in their field.
“This is a reflection of their own dedication and application, the quality and commitment of the Council’s instrumental service and music teams in schools - and of course of the very rich and supportive music scene in Orkney.
“I am sure with continued dedication these pupils are all destined to even greater achievements in the world of music in future.”
The National Children’s Orchestra of Scotland is a symphony orchestra for young musicians aged 8 – 14. Auditions were held in Orkney in December.
The pupils joining the orchestra will attend Easter and Summer Courses as well as rehearsals. They will perform three concerts with the orchestra at Perth Concert on April 15 and Paisley Abbey on April 16 and July 6.
Now posted on YouTube by Jimbo1622, here is the 1964 colour film produced about the National Commercial bank's floating branch, the Otter Bank.
Marvel at the way the film maker contrives to get our heroes to arrive at the Corn Slip by a route that transcends time, place and sense! Gasp at the speed with which the boat thrashes out of the basin.
Highlands and Islands Enterprise and the OIC have welcomed the announcement of a Renewable Energy Enterprise Area for the north of Scotland.
Key sites within the enterprise area include Hatston and Lyness, where the local authority - backed by European funding - is developing new harbour facilities that will support the marine renewables sector.
In addition, HIE is creating six new industrial units at Hatston to meet the needs of tidal energy developers using the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) test site off the island of Eday.
Councillor Ian Johnstone, chair of Orkney Islands Council's Development and Regeneration Committee, said: "This is something the council has pressed hard for and I am delighted that in creating the Renewable Energy Enterprise North Area, the Government has recognised Orkney's importance to the development of this key economic sector.
"As the home of EMEC, Orkney is playing a global role in the development of wave and tidal technologies - a role that will increase greatly as commercial scale devices are deployed in Orkney waters and the Pentland Firth in the years ahead.
"Our investment in new harbour facilities at Lyness and Hatston highlights the council's support for marine renewables - and they are clearly identified as key sites in the new Enterprise Area.
"The next stage is for the Government to agree the specific financial incentives that will encourage businesses to invest at sites like Hatston and Lyness - creating jobs and boosting the economy of our islands.
"The creation of the Enterprise Area also strengthens our case for Orkney's designation as a Marine Energy Park, in recognition of our world leading role in the development of the new marine renewables industry."
The Renewable Energy Enterprise North Area will also focus on Arnish in the Western Isles and Nigg and Scrabster in the Highlands.
Director of regional development at HIE Carroll Buxton said: "HIE welcomes the introduction of Enterprise Areas which will stimulate and encourage early investment and development at key strategic sites in Scotland.
"Enterprise Areas are about making things happen faster. In the Highlands and Islands the initiative is targeting growth sectors, particularly renewable energy and life sciences, where there is considerable potential to create new jobs and economic growth across the region.
"HIE is ready to support investors to maximise the advantage of early development at the range of sites - which has the potential to stimulate further significant benefits for businesses and communities across our region."
In all, four enterprise areas are to be created in Scotland with an emphasis on dynamic industries with the greatest potential to create new employment opportunities, stimulate private investment and boost economic growth.
Papa Westray will be enjoying an international contemporary art festival between 6th and 13th February.
The 2012 instalment of Papay Gyro Nights follows the succesful inaugural festival of 2011, and is the brainchild of locally based artists IVANOV + CHAN.
Taking advantage of the extremities of the festival's setting, climate and timing, a diverse range of themes and artforms will be explored, with emphasis on experimental film and video art in conjunction with performance, music and architecture.
The full programme is listed below (you may need to click Read More)
The festival is supported by the Danish Cultural Institute, Institut Francais and Land Art Papa Westray.
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