Shetland Arts is delighted to announce that it has been successfully short listed for funding from the Scottish Arts Council’s Inspire Fund. The Inspire Fund was launched in February 2008 to develop and encourage exciting and innovative art projects throughout Scotland to inspire and encourage participation in the arts.

One of just thirteen national projects, out of over 400 submissions short listed for development, is a series of interactive light works to be created Shetland wide, culminating in a permanent landmark at Mareel, the new cinema, music and education venue, to celebrate creativity and innovation inspired within a local context.

People from all over Shetland will work throughout winter 2009 to create a series of temporary light works in ten locations. Light is a magic ingredient that has the ability to gently tease and challenge our perception of what we are seeing. The project will be Shetland’s largest public art project to date.

Artist Nayan Kulharni works across media and disciplines and his practice engages with ideas of place with work that uses light, photography, architectural form and video. He is involved through his studio NK Projects, in architectural and design collaborations that exploit engineering design, new light technologies and advanced materials.

Roxane Permar is based in Shetland where she is a founder member of Veer North, the Shetland Visual Artists Group. She has worked in the field of public art and socially engaged practice since 1990 working in a variety of media that responds to the history, community and culture of a location. In recent works she has used elements of light, projection, film, sculpture and installation. While Shetland culture has played an important role in her work since the late 1980s, her practice is situated locally, nationally and internationally. Since 2001 she has realised projects and exhibited in Shetland, the UK, Russia, Europe, Japan and Australia.

Working with light is a relatively new art form in Shetland. Shetland Arts is aware of the importance of promoting interest in new art forms that use technology and are attractive to young people as well as encourage technicians to experiment with art and artist to experiment with technologies. While Shetland Arts already encourages inter-disciplinary and cross-collaborative work, it is unusual to introduce it on such a broad stage and across the islands simolatiously. It is also very exciting for a broad cross section of the community to create something new, high profile and with lasting results, yet sensitive to its location.

This is an opportunity to create an internationally recognised landmark and bring 21st century vision to a traditional form, ‘Gwilym Gibbon Director of Shetland Arts. ‘We will engage with some of our most remote communities, and generate a genuine sense of ownership and belonging for Mareel.’