Conferences

6th International St Magnus Conference: The Northern Isles and the Arctic. Environment, Heritage and Tourism (18-20 April 2024)

The Northern Isles have long had an intimate connection with the Arctic. In the Middle Ages they were part the same polity Norgesveldet along with Iceland and Greenland. In the 19th century explorers like the Orcadian John Rae pioneered new routes across the Arctic, while whalers from the isles frequented the Davis Straits hunting the whale and interacting with the indigenous population. Currently, their geographical position provides justification for Scotland to regard itself as the most northerly non-Arctic nation. The Scottish Government’s Arctic Policy was launched in Orkney in 2019 highlighting the centrality of the islands to Scotland’s Arctic ambitions. The Institute for Northern Studies UHI with its involvement in the University of the Arctic carries out Arctic research, exploring these deep and abiding connections. This conference seeks to share knowledge of, and celebrate the Northern Isles relationship with the Arctic, past, present and future.

This conference was curated by Andrew Jennings from the Centre for Island Creativity and hosted at Shetland Museum, Lerwick on behalf of the UHI Institute for Northern Studies.

Woolly Thinking: Threads of Change (18-19 September 2023)

The first Woolly Thinking conference was hosted in Lerwick by the Centre for Island Creativity (UHI Shetland) and Shetland Amenity Trust.

Inspired by Shetland’s history of innovative interaction between hand, machine and digital technologies, this hybrid international conference explored new approaches to craft, design and making in wool-based textiles and beyond, at a time of growing concern about the impacts of materials and industrial processes on the climate and communities.

Island Studies International Conference: “Creativity, Ingenuity, and Practice” (22-25 July 2022)

The 16th International Small Island Cultures (ISIC) Conference was jointly organised by the Small Island Cultures Research Initiative (SICRI) and the Centre for Island Creativity at the University of Highlands and Islands. SICRI is a global network that facilitates communication and collaboration between researchers and cultural practitioners working with small island communities. Its principal aim is to research and assist the maintenance and development of small island cultures.

Islands have long been centres of creativity, ingenuity, and innovation. ISIC 2022 highlighted the many ways island societies put their diverse creative skills into practice, from their distinct responses to political, environmental, economic, and social challenges, to the development of island creative economies and the promotion of community well-being.

We welcomed researchers and student speakers to Shetland from island communities all over the world, including New Zealand, Canada, Aruba, Åland and Rapa Nui.

Shoormal (18-21 September 2019)

Named after the Shetland word for the space between high and low tidelines, this conference was organised by our research centre and Shetland Arts Development Agency and brought together creative practitioners, researchers, professionals and arts organisations.

The ‘Shaping Futures’ presentations and workshops focused on technology and looking ahead in the creative economy. ‘The Space Between’ sessions explored the spaces between land and sea, human and non-human, dispersed communities and island places. Researchers and creative practitioners investigated the potential of in-between spaces and points of contact for intellectual and creative engagement. Panels in the ‘Heritage and Resilience’ section considered heritage-making practices and how they shape resilience in cultural, community and ecological terms.

Relate North 2016. Practising Place: Heritage, Art and Design for Creative Communities (7-10 November 2016)

This symposium and research exhibition was the fifth annual symposium and exhibition of the Arctic Sustainable Arts and Design (ASAD) thematic network of the University of the Arctic, which we jointly organised with the University of Lapland.

The exhibition included a variety of media from sculpture to textiles, painting and printmaking; from traditional to contemporary digital media. 26 exhibitors came from 7 ASAD partner countries, Alaska, Canada, Finland, Iceland, Russia, Scotland and Sweden. The symposium included artists, academics, researchers and museum curators from these countries and additionally featured local specialist, Dr Ian Tait, Curator of the Shetland Museum and Archives as one of the keynote speakers.