Tha mi a bruadair | I am dreaming 2014

Tha mi a bruadair | I am dreaming 2014 was devised in collaboration with Shweta Bhattad’s ‘I Have a Dream’ Global Art, Farming and Peace Project, for Vancouver Biennale 2014-16. It was also shown in 2015 at ArtCop21 ‘Faith in Paris’ Raising Farmers’ Voices in Paris during COP21.

The video captures the activities of valuable intergenerational teaching being carried out in the Outer Hebrides (UK), by local crofters who deliver a Crofting Course as part of the high school curriculum . The specific strains of arable crops grown on these islands are unique, short-stalked and weather-resistant, and each harvest ensures the possibility of next year’s crop. This sort of activity is under-recognised by those outside of the crofting world, yet it has vital messages to impart to young people and society relating to food security and sustainable agricultural practices that can help to ensure the survival of small communities in marginal locations.