On the Edge: Culture and the arts in remote and rural locationsEdited by Dr Anne Douglas, (The Robert Gordon University 2002, ISBN : 1 901 085 69 4 £10.00 [£13.66 inc p&p]) Imagine a psychedelic fluorescent orange Scottish neo-classical Adam house pulsating with coloured lights, overwhelmed by a huge brooding broccoli plant, against a magnificent pinky-orange dawn sunrise. Too early in the morning ? Then order a copy of “On the Edge”, savour the cover and the delights to come. Better still, cancel the day’s meetings, because it is unputdownable, with transcripts of inspiring accounts of how culture and the arts work in remote and rural Europe. The range is impressive, from Finland’s Kuhmo Music festival (inside the arctic circle); to the Feisean celebration of Gaelic music and language in the Outer Hebrides; to counter-culture and community in post 1968 Austrian Tyrol (think heavy rock, not lederhosen). And that’s just the thin edge of the edge – there are many more inspiring and varied examples of good practice. This was no ordinary conference… I shared a B&B in Macduff with a Bulgarian Cultural attaché, a Norwegian festival director, and a North Sea Commissioner who is not just talking fish, oil rigs, or pollution but….culture. Yes ! The facilitator was Francois Matarasso from Comedia. The nine principles from his insightful summary “A Future for Rural Cultural Development” analyse the what, how and why of successful local initiatives and provide an invaluable blueprint for anyone with an interest in this field – development officer, artist, policy maker, politician. This book demonstrates how our predominantly urban culture so desperately needs to engage with the values and natural inspiration that have their roots in the rural and remote.
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