SCOTTISH waterscapes have always been a source of artistic inspiration, and artists, performers and musicians have adapted their work for the locked-down age. From photography to poetry, there is plenty online to keep you in touch with the Year of Coasts and Waters.
StAnza, Scotland’s International Poetry Festival, is publishing one poem a day from its Coast Lines project, it brings together poets from Scotland and Scandinavia.
Get creative whilst you #StayAtHome and submit a ‘tile’ to the Northern Lights Festival, run by Lyth Arts Centre. All you need to do is make a five-inch square piece of artwork which will be put together as a Marine Mosaic and displayed as part of the festival.
For the musically oriented, use your time in isolation to listen to some amazing live music. The Nevis Ensemble – whose June performances, as part of the Year of Coasts and Waters programme, have been postponed – has brought its celebration of our natural environment online with the musician’s Musical Postcards project. The orchestra is asking members of the public to share photos, paintings, poems and stories to demonstrate their own love of Scotland’s islands, rivers, lochs and sea. Their composers will then use this as the inspiration for a new piece of music to be broadcast online, so get your submissions in by April 20.
There’s plenty of web cameras showcasing Scotland’s nature and wildlife. This is also a great time of year to see the fish-eating osprey – get right into their nest with a live cam from the Woodland Trust in the ancient Caledonian pine forest by Loch Arkaig in the Highlands. Or see them on Loch of the Lowes in Perthshire, thanks to the Scottish Wildlife Trust.
Make sure you check VisitScotland’s overview of web cams to add to your watery wildlife fix. It includes the Loch Morlich Watersports webcam in the Cairngorms, the Seacroft Marine webcam at Aberdeen Harbour and the great view of Oban from the lighthouse webcam.
VisitScotland’s Sounds of Scotland offers the perfect backing-track for your working from home environment, or switch off and meditate with these sets of soothing acoustics. Whether it’s the rushing Corra Linn waterfall, or the hypnotic rhythm of the North Sea at Kinnaird Head Castle Lighthouse, these sounds immerse the senses and transport you virtually into their scenic getaways.
You can also step into Scotland with the new Augmented Reality app, Portal AR. The app allows you to go on 360-degree experiences. You can ride a motorbike on the North Coast 500 route or see inside a whisky distillery.
See VisitScotland.com
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