Edinburgh Arts Festival film sheds light on invisible Scottish stories

The National

3 days ago

In a year that marks the 30th anniversary since the first major Pride event in Scotland, an attempt is being made to reconnect queer people with the past, as well as bring in voices of other marginalised groups and the languages of Scots, Gaelic, British Sign Language (BSL) and English.
The film, titled who will be remembered here, made by artists Lewis Hetherington and CJ Mahony, features four queer writers who have responded in different languages to sites in Scotland spanning ancient to modern history.
Previews of the film have already been well received, including from a community group in Glasgow's Easterhouse, who were particularly moved by Robert Softley Gale's visit to the now-defunct Biggar Gasworks.
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'In Robert's film, he reflects on his cerebral palsy and how he's been challenged his whole life to explain what his purpose or function is, so this industrial site – which is built for such a specific function – becomes an interesting tension,' said Hetherington. 'He goes on to talk about fatherhood and actually how that connects to a sense of purpose.'
Hetherington said they had been 'bowled over' by the response from the Easterhouse community.
'There were quite a number of people in the audience who spoke up in the discussion afterwards about their own experience of disability, saying they'd never felt so seen and felt really celebrated,' he said. 'We'd be overjoyed if it makes people feel more confident to speak up about who they are and what they've gone through.'
Softley Gale's section is in English, while the section from Harry Josephine Giles, who visits two brochs, is in Scots. Bea Webster, who is filmed at standing stones on Arran (below), uses BSL. Robbie MacLeòid visits Fort George, with his section in Gaelic – appropriately for a place that has an oppressive and dark history within Gaelic culture.
'Webster's approach to the Arran standing stones is also interesting as they have Thai heritage and this has led to some people assuming they have no connection to Scottish history even though they have grown up in Scotland,' said Hetherington.
The film begins at dawn at Biggar, moves to Fort George, then south of Skye before finishing at Arran in the evening.
'There's this sense of going from most recent past to the most distant as well as from the beginning of the day to the end,' said Mahony. 'The film is very, very beautiful and it is hard to convey just how tender the pieces are and how there's a real intimacy that's created. A lot of people have said how connected they felt, even though it's mediated by a screen.'
The pair pointed out that many of the stories of people whose lives have been part of Scottish history have never been recorded.
'It's not just queer people who have always existed – it's all sorts of marginalised voices and identities,' Hetherington said.
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'That's how we came to work with four different languages because it quickly became apparent how the languages that are so prevalent in Scotland are often still not considered as part of the mainstream story.
'We wanted to think about how we could address that and reflect a broader spectrum as well as look
at the purpose and use of places across Scotland.'
The project was in partnership with Historic Scotland. Hetherington said the organisation had been keen to help explore how these stories could be told and create kinship with queer lives who are part of the country's heritage.
'It has been a really significant project for them in terms of a new approach to historical interpretation and we've already been invited to speak at a number of conferences about this as a case study of how to interpret sites, such as the World Heritage conference which took place in Stirling last year,' said Hetherington.
A book has also been produced to accompany the exhibition, with 12 writers commissioned to contribute pieces about their queer history.
Unlike the films – which are responding to sites deemed historically significant and in Historic Scotland's care – the writers talk about places which are not well known but are very significant to the authors' personal history.
'So we have moments of queer revelation, celebration, or emancipation on mountainsides, in amusement arcades, in libraries and more,' said Hetherington.
The writers are Ali Smith, Amanda Thomson, Ashley Douglas, Damian Barr, Ever Dundas, Ink Asher Hemp, Jeff Meek, Johnny McKnight, Lousie Welsh, Mae Diansangu, MJ Deans and Rona Munro. Hetherington and Mahony also contributed a piece.
As well as trying to connect people with Scottish history, it is hoped the project can be an archive for the future.
'I think in the context of politics at the moment, it's really important for people to see those intersections of lives and identities present on screen and for those stories to be told,' said Hetherington.
'We hope these voices won't be erased the way they maybe have been in the past.'
He said he also hoped people would feel a shared sense of humanity through watching the film.
'Sometimes, when we're trying to look at history in a different way, perhaps through a feminist or a queer lens, people might think it is for a specific audience,' Hetherington said.
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'But actually, these are things that are all our history. It's all our nation.
'The thing that excites me is the idea that people, whoever they are, will be able to see themselves in Scottish history, challenge or question Scottish history and fall in love with it again.'
who will be remembered here is showing every day from August 7-24. It is 30 minutes long, with screenings every 45 minutes, from 10am at the EAF Pavillion, 45 Leith Street.
www.edinburghartfestival.com/event/lewis-hetherington-cj-mahony-who-will-be-remembered-here/
The book, who will be remembered here, will be available to buy from the EAF Pavillion and a special event is also being held as part of Edinburgh Book Festival on August 17.
www.edbookfest.co.uk/the-festival/whats-on/who-will-be-remembered-here