General Information Invited speakers and tour guides from various disciplines will present material concerning ‘invisible' aspects of Scottish culture; this overview will address things the typical tourist will never see or learn. These include aspects of the oral tradition, musical ballads, personal narratives, traces of vanished communities, case studies and first-hand exploration of woodlands, plants, watersheds and moorlands, coastal villages, historic ruins, and live performances.
Importantly, Scotland itself will be the focus of close investigation by place-based researchers, with the aim of expanding future collaborative research about Scotland through research projects. In two days of presentations and performances set in Dundee, and with two days on ‘peripatetic seminars', in a choice of several guided trips, participants will not only hear and see, but visit first hand, examples of ‘invisible' traces in countryside, city, island or community.
Scottish hosts and guests, sponsored by PLaCE International, aim to promote new collaborations concerning the land and Scottish culture through discovery. A book publication will document the event; each participant will be invited to contribute images and/or text. A copy will be posted to each attendee in the autumn.
Day 1: 1st August: Meet at the Dalhousie bldg., Univ. of Dundee campus. 9:30 am. A rich day of keynote talks, screenings, welcomes and a civic reception in Dundee City Chambers!
Days 2 & 3: 2nd -3rd August: A choice of five trips, with the first 3 returning to Dundee on the night of the 2nd, and two trips (D and E) as overnights ‘in the field'.
• Trip A: 2nd August AM: Dundee, Patrick Geddes and ‘the Hidden City' with Mark Wallace
PM: Patrick Geddes and the Land, with Lorens Holm and Fergus Purdei; 3rd August: Usan, Coastlines and Transitions of Water and Land with Tim Neat
• Trip B: 2nd August: ‘The Road to Miekle Seggie' with Richard Demarco and Arthur Watson. 3rd August:Early Angus: Earth houses, hillforts and sculptured stones, with Gavin Renwick. • Trip C: Aug. 2nd and again on 3rd Aug.: Gardens and garden history of Scotland, with Christopher Dingwall. • Trip D: 2-3 Aug. Woodlands and Mountains, with Robin Payne, overnight accommodation as part of trip • Trip E: 2-3 Aug. Wetlands and Moorlands, with Alexander and Susan Maris, overnight accommodation as part of trip
Day 4: 4th August: Reconvene in Dundee at the Dalhousie bldg. for a final day of speakers, artist presentations and panel discussion.
End with Conference Dinner, downtown at Chambers East with a Scottish menu and a special musical treat!
Free Bus pick-up at Edinburgh Airport at 14:00 on 30th July and 18:00 on 31st July. with transport to Dundee.
Everyone arranges his/her own accommodation. A list of places and prices is available, from basic to lavish, with a price to suit every budget. Book early!
Actual registration and online payment will be open soon! Three items will be requested: 1: A modest conference fee (and one at reduced price for students and unwaged); 2: The choice of trip and its payment 3: The Conference dinner, with one reasonable set price.
In the meantime, please book accommodation and travel. If you can, please send a note of intention to attend, to: • [email protected]
We'll make sure you are notified of all information.