Series 2 Episode 7 – The importance of a sense of place and the role of art, landscape and light in Scotland
This recording brings together two Scotland’s Future Projects which explore the importance of a sense of place.
International Relations lecturer Roxani Krystalli talks about her project, ‘Growing Roots: Teaching and Making with a Sense of Place’, and second year Art History PhD students Anne-sophie Daffertshofer and Tori Champion share their project, ‘Looking North Through Art: Alternative Approaches to Landscape and Energy Ethics in Scotland’.
During the discussion, Roxani talks about the research she has already done into the importance of place and how she has tried to move from talking about other places in international Relations to talking about Scotland, its places and landscape, and the impact this has on thinking, creativity and the relationships we have.
Coming from Greece and educated in the US, Roxani talks about the welcome she has had in Scotland and looks at how this ‘claim’ to Scotland impacts people and their perspective on things.
The natural environment is also playing a significant role in the ‘Looking North’ project which Anne-sophie and Tori are working on thanks to funding from Scotland’s Future Series and the University’s Centre for Energy Ethics, amongst others. They have also worked to engage with artists and looked how they are impacted by their environment, capturing this in an online talk series. They are now moving on to pair these artists with scholars and writers with similar ideas so they can work together.
Tori explained that creating a conversation and engaging with wider audiences on the importance of a sense of place and the role it has in shaping people and their work, as well as building connections, is key to their project and, they hope, looking at what elements are crucial to creating sustainable societies and healthy democracies, and go on to use this in other countries beyond Scotland.