Timespan is a heritage and arts organisation based in Helmsdale in the far north of Scotland. Artlands North is a project run by Timespan which offers virtual tours of galleries, studios and art works in the far North. Visitors to the Highlands also have the option of using GPS to explore studio trails and tours.

Check it out now: Artlands North

More: Website | Facebook | Twitter

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We’ve chosen this image from Nicki MacRae for a number of reasons. Firstly, we thought this photograph of Nicki’s artwork was a perfect way to demonstrate the versatility of the artist, who enjoys photography as well as painting. We also enjoy the texture and shapes that are brought out by the photography.

Nicki says of her work:
“My paintings tend to involve layering, concealing and revealing, enhancing and building. Above most things, I adore colour and texture. I take an instinctive approach when working, often using a wide range of media, employing simple printing techniques and using found objects.”

See more work from Nicki on Flickr here, and on her website here.

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Catching up with the soft-spoken Matthew Zajac at Tramway, on Glasgow’s Southside, is a relaxing experience. Writer and performer of the multi-award winning Tailor of Inverness, Zajac seems mildly surprised by the critical and commercial success of what he calls “a personal and confessional” work.

Dogstar were founded in the late 1990s, partially in response to the lack of theatre in the Highlands, but also to mine the rich heritage of music that is scattered across the north of Scotland. Tailor, despite its use of technology and an approach that finds an echo in the work of the RSAMD’s Contemporary Performance young teams, retains that link: Zajic’s only on-stage company is a violinist.

Zajac became involved in the company in their early years as a performer, although the inspiration for this play reaches further back into his past. Having recorded his father’s memories years before – the beginning of Tailor relies heavily on almost verbatim transcriptions of these tapes – he visited his paternal homeland to discover that some of these memories were fabricated.

One of the central themes of Tailor is the tussle between truth and reinvention: his father had come through the Second World War, experiencing catastrophe in his native Poland, before arriving in Scotland. From this foundation, Zajic weaves a magical story that considers issues of cultural identity – he acknowledges that part of the creative process was about establishing his own identity as a Scottish Pole, or Polish Scot.

Since devolution, Scottish theatre has been increasingly preoccupied by issues of national identity: Tailor is an intensely personal take on the conflicts. Following the influx of Poles in the past decade, the questions asked by Zajac’s father have taken on a new relevance.

On stage, Zajac captures the agitation and hopes of a man who has experienced the horrors of war: in person, he is charming, generous and thoughtful. Modest about his achievements, he sees his work clearly in the context of both modernity and tradition.