AS Celtic Connections continues to brighten winter with song and events, the people behind Knots, which styles itself as the “unofficial Celtic Connections fringe festival” aim to offer a space to unravel some of the themes arising from the festival, such as: what are the connections between “Celtic” culture and authenticity, tradition, ownership, exclusion and appropriation? Who is included or excluded by Celtic tradition and how do we navigate these issues in 2018?
Untangling the issues facing contemporary Celts will be speakers from Scotland and beyond for a free afternoon of workshops and conversations at Glasgow School of Art on Saturday, January 27 from 1pm to 10pm.
Speakers include Professor Alastair McIntosh, a writer, activist and human ecologist from the Isle of Lewis who’ll explore the artist’s role as healer; Glasgow-based medievalist Megan Jones, who will explore how the far right are using neomedieval and neo-Celtic tropes, rhetoric, and imagery in an attempt to dismantle multiculturalism; and musician and writer Stewart Smith who’ll talk about the fringe folk scene which “keeps Glasgow weird”.
Also appearing are Northern Irish artist and performer Sgaire Wood who will talk about performance and identity and Neil McDermott, an artist and musician whose recent visual work explores the political folk song traditions in Scotland, particularly in relation to nuclear weapons. McDermott will also take part in the live performance part of the mini-festival that evening, which is set to culminate with a “wild jam session for sharing the dingier depths of your repertoires”.
See bit.ly/KNOTS for more
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