My project “The dead have been seen alive”, is a line taken from a Sorley MacLean poem. I have been exploring how storytelling and folklore is dying out within Scottish communities and how this has a direct effect on those communities.
Throughout the project I’ve found a new perspective into the community that I was brought up on, an Island off the North West coast of Scotland. Interviewing various people that have connections or live full time on the island emphasized how important it is to make a record of stories that circulate within communities. Some of the stories I heard won’t ever be written down, therefore, dying out and being lost to history.
The animated film and sculptural mobile are the result of my findings. These works represent a microcosm of Scottish Folklore on this Island. They are both a depiction of these interviews and observations.
I feel that it is important that we connect with each other within our communities and keep the traditions of storytelling alive.
I hope that this instills a sense of belonging.
“Everybody’s got a story, and It’s worth telling. But my goodness, more so, is the importance of someone listening to it.” – Annie Martin from the interview that we did.