Matilda’s Bothy Project
CREATING MUSIC, PHOTOGRAPHY AND VIDEO IN RESPONSE TO WALKING IN THE HIGHLANDS OF SCOTLAND AND STAYING IN BOTHIES (basic shelters for walkers)
Matilda's Bothy Project is an on-going project celebrating the connection between music, walking and wilderness landscape.
We are exploring new performance sites and maintaining and respecting the wilderness of the Highlands of Scotland and its many bothies, maintained by the MBA- Mountain Bothies Association.
We would like to explore and reflect upon people's journeys in the Scottish mountains through music and other art forms. Our goals are
To encourage people to share their walking and bothy experiences with us and help us to create new music and art to express these findings.
To create original music, photography and video in response to our personal experiences in the Highlands.
To explore the importance and meaning of bothies to the people who use them and live close to them.
To find out about the 'quiet voice' within us or that part of us that can get lost or distorted for whatever reason.
To continually seek meaning in places and people and not so much in things.
In A'Chuil bothy feeling tired!
I am a composer. I have expressed my relationship to walking and the mountains through music for many years......this project would like to start by encouraging people to express whatever they like about their journeys or experiences in the mountains. We encourage people to search for reasons why they come to the hills and stay in bothies. Perhaps just for a break or for more complex or spiritual reasons. Please share your experiences by either emailing me or writing your thoughts and ideas in the bothy books we have left in the bothies throughout the Highlands.
WHEN AND WHERE WE STARTED
Our first journey (Knoydart) and performance (January 2010 at Mull Theatre and Cove Park) specifically for this project, was a trip through Knoydart, involving myself, as composer/musician, and Ben Winston, photographer. The pieces of music and video were created in response to our physical and psychological experiences over six days of walking and staying in MBA bothies. Since then, we have created a short film about bothying and I am leading a walk and music performance this year at the Sound Festival, Aberdeenshire.
Knoydart towards Glen Pean and Loch Arkaig
SUPPORTING THE MBA AND CELEBRATING THE WILDERNESS OF SCOTLAND
Through these performances and many more to follow, we want to help the promotion and maintenance of the Mountain Bothies, in partnership with http://www.mountainbothies.org.uk (The Mountain Bothies Association) and help keep safe and alive the wilderness of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland.