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HI-wireless Takes Off
JULY brings a number of exciting new developments to the Northings and HI-Arts websites. NORTHINGS is delighted to host HI-wireless, the brainchild of Euan Martin and Dave Smith, the co-directors of...
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Creative Opportunities
IT WILL not come as news to anyone likely to be reading this Editorial that public funding of the arts is not in a buoyant phase. GIVEN that fact, Creative Scotland’s announcement of a new three-year...
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A Voyage Around A Highland Icon
EDEN Court Theatre already has something a track record in mounting its own productions, both on a relatively modest scale through the work of John Batty and the Education Unit, and in the annual...
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A Sad Farewell and A New Arrival
THE Nairn International Jazz Festival was very much the creation of Ken Ramage, the Forres-based businessman and jazz fan who died recently. Although the festival had not taken place since 2009, it...
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Feast and Famine
Modern and contemporary jazz generally does not get a great look in around the Highlands, with a few honourable exceptions. WHILE still basking in the glow of a superb concert at Eden Court featuring...
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Morrison’s Van Hits The Road
THIS MONTH sees the culmination of the first series of Hi-wireless, which has been running on Northings since July. While we are delighted to have been able to offer a platform for this project, credit...
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Be Creative!
THE YEAR of Creative Scotland 2012 gets underway on 1 January. Depending on how you look at it, though, the latest Scottish Government-sponsored extravaganza is an odd notion. DOES it mean that we in...
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Slow Start to Year of Creative Scotland
I DON’T know about you, but I can’t remember a slower start to the year in the arts in these parts, certainly not in the last decade. EVEN the normally reliable Eden Court could only muster two stage...
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The Future of Northings
NORTHINGS is approaching a major crossroads with changes to our funding from Highlands & Islands Enterprise. THE web-based journal has been what we hope is a valuable and valued part of the...
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A New Challenge for Northings
AS WE approach the completion of nine years of covering arts and culture in the Highlands & Islands, Northings faces a new set of challenges, and a new opportunity. Dave Smith’s cartoon (and surely...
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Riding the Groundswell
THE FESTIVAL season is hotting up again, and the Highlands & Islands will enjoy their share of the action. THE prodigious growth of festivals of all sizes and kinds has been one of the more...
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A Muted Response to Bad News?
WHAT will Creative Scotland’s latest funding changes mean for the arts in Scotland? PERHAPS we are all just a bit ground down by the relentless bad economic news of recent years, but I would have...
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A New Way to Contribute to Northings
THIS MONTH we are launching a new opportunity for members of the Northings Community to take a fuller part in the site. WHILE our commissioned reviews and articles will remain the backbone of our...
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Bucking the Trend
WHILE there is evidence that audiences for many events are being reduced by the current belt-tightening operation most of us are experiencing, it doesn’t seem to be impinging much on the big festivals...
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Surely Not Already?
GROWING older brings with it more than just creaking joints and a bus pass. THE vague conviction that time is speeding up grows ever stronger as each year flashes past seemingly a notch or two faster...
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Mareel launches at a difficult time
SHETLAND ARTS have announced the official launch of the first season of programmes in the new Mareel venue in Lerwick. THE organisation also responded very promptly to my moan in last month’s editorial...
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Creative Scotland Still Under Fire
THE PROTEST over the way in which Creative Scotland is working with its clients continues to gain momentum. FOLLOWING a fair bit of recent criticism in the press, last month saw an escalation in...
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More Pain In Store?
THE NEWS that Newcastle Council have opted to drop their entire budget allocation for the arts sends a warning that the pain of spending cuts is far from over, and may just be beginning. THE draconian...
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Celebrating Natural Scotland
THE latest flagship pseudo-festival from the Scottish Government and Creative Scotland is upon us. THE Year of Natural Scotland 2013 event launched with the opening performances of Infinite Scotland...
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The End of This Road
THE DEMISE of Northings is, I believe, a severe blow to the arts community in the Highlands & Islands. AS THE only editor of the journal since its inception ten years ago, I would say that,...
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