Creative Orkney conference

A two day conference to explore Orkney’s creativity began today in Kirkwall.

The first Creative Orkney Conference — organised, hosted and presented by the Centre for Nordic Studies — is being held in the St Magnus Centre today and tomorrow and includes a mix of workshops, talks, a discussion forum and field trips to explore why Orkney has such a successful and active arts community and how it can continue to prosper.

Professor Donna Heddle, director of the Centre for Nordic Studies, said: “The conference will be an opportunity to celebrate and showcase our rich cultural and artistic tapestry.

“It is also a chance to tap into the academic resources through the centre and the wider University of the Highlands and Islands network, to try and understand how we got here, and how we can continue to go from strength to strength.

A public lecture will be held in the St Magnus Centre as part of the conference, tomorrow at 11.15am in which writer and cultural researcher Francois Matarasso, will present his paper, Another Angle of  Vision: Particularities of Orkney’s Culture.