Julia Parks | Screening at The Pier Arts Centre

We are delighted to present a screening of three 16mm works by Julia Parks at The Pier Arts Centre, Stromness, Orkney, on Friday 15 July at 6pm-7pm. Tickets are free and available to book via Eventbrite.

This screening is part of a series of public events planned in Orkney to celebrate the installation and unveiling of a Historic Environment Scotland commemorative plaque celebrating filmmaker Margaret Tait and is the final event of the Margaret Tait 100 project.

The unveiling of the Historic Environment Scotland commemorative plaque will take place Thursday 14 July at 5pm at 25 Broad Street, Kirkwall. Alison Miller, a poet and National Library of Scotland’s ​’Scots Scriever’ will read at the event. As part of this programme, Sarah Neely (Director, Margaret Tait 100) will introduce a screening at The Phoenix Cinema at The Pickaquoy Centre, Kirkwall, called ​‘Margaret Tait: Origins and Influences’. Free tickets to which can be booked here.

Margaret Tait 100 was a year-long centenary celebration of the work of Scotland’s pioneering filmmaker and poet, Margaret Tait (1918 – 1999). The programme was a partnership between LUX Scotland, The University of Glasgow, The Pier Arts Centre and a number of event partners, supported by Creative Scotland. The programme launched in November 2018 on the occasion of Tait’s birthday, and included screenings, exhibitions, workshops, readings, new publishing, and commissioning opportunities for artists working with film and moving-image. Find out more about Margaret Tait 100 on the project website.

Julia is also running a workshop, DIY Approaches to Cameraless and 16mm Filmmaking, on the same day.

‘Solway Steel and Cyclamen’ (2019)

An animated film portrait of seven west cumbrian industries from shoemaking to flower growing.

The film was commissioned by Florence Arts Centre as part of a residency project titled Self Seeder at Florence Arts Centre in Egremont with Hattie Moore and Jocelyn McGregor. The project was funded by Arts Council England.

‘HAAF’ (2020)

‘HAAF’ tells the story of the Haaf Netters in their own words. A fishing tradition that dates back over 1000 years to the Viking Age, Haaf netting is an ancient art directly linked to the Solway Firth, where men on both sides of the border have passed down their skills of the craft for centuries. Due to the external threat of environmental politics and social decline, the Haaf Netters today may be the last to fish these waters. The film explores folklore, language and the current fight for its survival by three key men – Mark, John and Barry.

Co-directed with Heather Andrews.

‘HAAF’ was commissioned by RE DRIFT as part of a residency project with Irene Rogan and RL Wilson. The project was funded by Arts Council England.

‘Seaweed’ (2022)

16mm moving image artwork that explores the folklore, ecology, and history of seaweed in north Scotland. Voiced by seaweed harvesters, workers in the alginate factories, environmental activists, archaeologists, seaweed farmers behind the miracle resource. The film includes archive footage, oral histories and contemporary documentary footage of people working with seaweed.

Funded by Arts Council England, FLAMIN & Cumbria Community Foundation and made as part of a wider project called Seaweed Stories.

Julia’s practice encompasses film, animation and photography, often using a series of photographs and projected 16mm film. Through this medium, Julia explores the different relationships between landscape, industry, plants and people, often focusing on the west coast of Cumbria. Her films are created using an experimental documentary approach, often using 16mm film, archival footage, poetry and song.

Julia is currently taking part in a 6‑month residency with Alchemy Film & Arts as part of their​‘The Teviot, the Flag and the Rich, Rich Soil’ programme.