Premiering tonight, 17th of November at 7pm on The Orkney News YouTube Channel is the first in a series of films: Orcadian Stories.

Orcadian artist and film maker Martin Laird has put together a series of portrait photographs from his film ‘Orcadian Stories’. The images will be exhibited at the Northlight Gallery, Stromness, previewing Saturday 26^th November. The free exhibition will be open every weekday from 11am to 4pm till Thursday 8^th December.

The images in ‘Orcadian Stories’ feature local people who have contributed to our islands’ community and who were interviewed for Martin’s film as part of Scotland’s Year of Stories 2022. The exhibition is held in conjunction with St Andrew’s Fair Weekend and is supporting local charity Orkney Rape and Sexual Assault Service (ORSAS).

This event has been supported by the Year of Stories 2022 Community Stories Fund. This fund is being delivered in partnership between VisitScotland and Museums Galleries Scotland with support from National Lottery Heritage Fund thanks to National Lottery players. 

Filmed by Martin Laird, researched by Fiona Grahame, and produced by Orkney News Ltd, ‘Orcadian Stories’ is a series of short filmed interviews of people who have played a part in creating a cultural legacy for the islands. The films focus on individuals telling their stories.

Martin Laird said:

“2022 is Scotland’s Year of Stories, and I thought it would be interesting to record the personal stories of people who have given much of themselves without seeking attention. I’m very grateful to those who agreed to be interviewed and photographed for this project. There are no doubt many other people in Orkney with interesting stories to tell, and I only wish we could have spoken to them all.”

All the individuals filmed have contributed to the local community through their work which may be for art, music, film, communications, tradition, mental health, and wellbeing.

The exhibition at the Northlight Gallery features large black and white portrait photographs of the story tellers.

The films include original music composed by Orkney musician Eamonn Keyes. The short films will also be edited together to feature in one longer documentary.

Marie Christie, Head of Development at VisitScotland said: 

“We are delighted to be supporting ‘Orcadian Stories’  through the Year of Stories 2022 Community Stories Fund. Events play an important role in our communities as they sustain livelihoods and help to celebrate and promote our unique places, spaces and stories. Themed Years are all about collaboration and Museums Galleries Scotland, National Lottery Heritage Fund and VisitScotland are pleased to work in partnership to create this fund to showcase community stories. By supporting events taking place within our communities, including ‘Orcadian Stories’, new opportunities will be provided for locals and visitors to come together and find out more about the diverse stories, past and present, that our communities have to share.” 

The first of the short films to be released will feature Kim Foden telling the story of The Televisor, and how her father Jack and uncle Jimmy brought television to Orkney for the first time using a home-made receiver. The Televisor will premiere on the Orkney News YouTube channel at 7pm on Thursday the 17^th of November 2022, with the other films to follow in the coming weeks.

Fiona Grahame, researcher, said:

“ It was a pleasure to be able to interview people who have contributed so much to Orkney’s community. These are untold stories from islanders who work quietly behind the scenes of many of our local organisations and groups. For many of those interviewed it was also a personal journey, which they were able to reflect upon during the filming. Martin has captured the essence of the interviews in the individual portraits.”