Acclaimed Exhibition Air Iomlaid opens on Skye

A unique art exhibition showcasing the talents of primary school children from two distinct areas of Scotland will go on display at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, the National Centre for Gaelic language and culture,this weekend.

The exhibition is the culmination of The Fruitmarket Gallery’s 18-month long education project which was conducted through Gaelic and involved pupils from Bun-sgoil Shlèite, Skye and Tollcross Primary School, Edinburgh. Inspired by a process successfully devised and developed by artist Julie Brook, the children learned to look, draw and paint in the urban and rural landscapes of Edinburgh and Skye, developing their relationship with and response to their own environment and that of their partners on an exchange.

Over 100 Gaelic-medium pupils from the two schools took part in the ground-breaking visual arts project, Air Iomlaid, meaning’˜On Exchange’™.

The pupils from both schools worked across the geographic distance using new technologies to share their drawings and experiences, before visiting each other on the exchange. The project, which began in March 2009, encouraged pupils to investigate their local landscape and the environment and learn about the natural history of the area while developing their Gaelic vocabulary.

The exhibition includes four monumental 3m x 6m artworks depicting the two different locations as seen through the eyes of the youngsters.  Over 16,000 people have visited Air Iomlaid at The Fruitmarket Gallery in Edinburgh since it went on display at the beginning of April.

Andrew Dixon, Chief Executive of Creative Scotland, who enjoyed a preview of the exhibition on a visit to Sabhal Mòr Ostaig said:’This is a groundbreaking education project.  The creativity of the young artists has linked one of the most iconic cityscapes in the world with the dynamic landscape of Skye and the Highlands.’

Air Iomlaid will open at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig on Skye on Saturday the 5th June and will run until the 25th July 2010.  For further information visit http://www.smo.uhi.ac.uk