This August ATLAS Arts will present Ragadawn – a unique sunrise performance in the Isle of Skye by the internationally-renowned, Norwegian artist, writer and performer, Caroline Bergvall.
In collaboration with Gaelic speakers on the island, Bergvall has devised a powerful and entrancing piece, interweaving music, text, and voices, which will be performed between dawn and sunrise within the grounds of Sabhal Mòr Ostaig on Saturday 25th August 2018.
The Sound of Sleat and the Knoydart Peninsula will provide a spectacular backdrop for Bergvall’s work which melds nature and song together. It is a multi-sensory composition for two voices (spoken and sung) incorporating multiple languages – including Gaelic – and electronic frequencies to accompany and celebrate the rising of day.
The Ragadawn project is attuned to the complex range of experiences that come about with the rising of the day, providing a way into conversations about dawn as both a positive, yet also, anxiety-inducing time. Directly following the performance there will be a communal breakfast; this is integral to the piece. For this ATLAS is collaborating with local suppliers, including Viewfield Garden Collective, a garden project for vulnerable and disadvantaged adults in Skye & Lochalsh, and Kyle of Lochalsh-based, Er Ya Tea, to create a unique breakfast menu that is offered to the audience.
ATLAS’ Director, Emma Nicolson said they have been working with the artist since 2016 on incorporating Gaelic into the piece: “We have always sought to engage with Gaelic in contemporary ways. Through working with the artist, Gaelic speakers and Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, this project has allowed us to consider Gaelic in direct relation to our remote rural location, as well as being part of a process that is seeking to revitalise connections between languages active in Europe.”
In 2018 there will be three site-specific performances of Ragadawn; the premiere will be with ATLAS Arts in the Isle of Skye followed by two in Marseille, France, in October.
For full details and to book, please visit atlasarts.org.uk.