There has been a hive of activity in Nairn as the town celebrates Scotland’s Year of Stories 2022 by hosting a number of different events.
In partnership with international arts company Kinetika and Highland based artist and storyteller Lizzie McDougall, 20 silk flags have been made.
Mrs McDougall and the event’s organiser Mandy Murray first worked with the following community groups to collect stories and create some images:
- Brownies
- Green Hive
- Highland Youth Theatre
- Nairn Academy
- Nairn Allotment Society
- Nairn and District Gardening Club
- Nairn Museum
- Nairn Sailing Club
- Pen and I
After this, artists from Kinetika, led by Ali Pretty, facilitated 10 days of drawing and silk painting workshops at Nairn Community Centre, where the flags were painted and completed.
They encapsulate in striking visual form some of Nairn’s stories, characters, histories, myths and legends that make up the identity of the town and Nairnshire as a whole.
The flags will feature in several special events over the course of the Nairn Book and Arts Festival, including at a Stories of Nairn flag parade on August 27 at 3pm.
It is part of Nairn’s “High Street Takeover” and this year’s theme for both children and adults is fancy dress, with people urged to dress up as a character from their favourite book.
As well as this, an installation of the flags at the Nairn Links bandstand will take place on September 4, where Mrs McDougall will tell the stories connected with the flags.
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