New environmental film 'The Dreaming Bog' by Sutherland filmmaker to be screened in Helmsdale this weekend
Timespan Museum and Arts Centre in Helmsdale is hosting a screening of a new environmental film, The Dreaming Bog, on Saturday, October 15.
Sutherland born filmmaker Robert Aitken directed and produced the film which is based on the opening act of Caithness poet George Gunn's epic new poem "Six Thousand Years of Sunlight".
The Dreaming Bog merges poetry with environmental concerns through the backdrop of the bogs and peatlands of northern Scotland and the mires and swamps of Finland.
Mr Aitken said: “Filming took place at the end of 2021 under challenging circumstances including a pandemic, a lockdown, two storms and multiple cancellations due to Covid and illness. It is just incredible The Dreaming Bog got made at all.”
The filmmaker said that the global bogs, mires and peatlands were an “incredible gift of life” but were in danger of degradation through human-related activities.
“They are often seen as unexciting landscapes, not fit for much use, but this couldn’t be further from their past story and inherent nature,” he said.
“These places are home to an immense variety of plants and wildlife, and historically, humankind has lived and worked in the bogs of northern Scotland since the arrival of the hunter-gatherer. As carbon keepers, the bogs are four times more efficient at storing gases poisonous to human life, than the rainforests.
“The last 200 years has seen more change and damage to the bogs than the previous 6000 years of civilization."
The Dreaming Bog contains comments from those who live and work in the bogs of Caithness and Sutherland as well as Finland.
George Gunn said: “I was honoured when Robert wanted to use some of my poems for his new film.
“The subject matter of the Caithness and Sutherland bog lands is very close to my heart given the Clan Gunn literally, culturally and historically, come out of the bog.”
The screening will be accompanied by a discussion & reading with the poet George Gunn, the ethnologist Cait McCulloch and Timespan digital and heritage curator Jacqueline Aitken.
The full length film runs at 40 minutes and takes place from 5–7pm at Timespan.
Entrance on the night is free with no booking needed.