An Lanntair, Stornoway, Western Isles
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The new An Lanntair (Gaelic for "lantern") arts centre in Stornoway, Lewis on the Western Isles, opened on 1 October 2005.
The stunning new building forms a key part of the new town centre in Stornoway and is the first building which greets visitors as they arrive on the ferry. |
Envisioned as 'a lantern, a beacon, a lighthouse' and 'a navigation point' for the arts, An Lanntair will provide a high quality artistic programme with a particular focus on Gaelic. An Lanntair will also provide a permanent cinema programme for the first time in Stornoway.
The centre features a 250 seat auditorium, gallery space, restaurant and café bar with state of the art facilities which allow the building to be versatile and make the most of its seafront location.
An Lanntair will be opening with a newly commissioned play by the Traverse Theatre. A major boost for the new venue is that An Lanntair will be hosting the Mod from 14 to 22 October The venue will also have a major role to play in the Year of Highland Culture in 2007.
Read more about An Lanntair by clicking on the following links.....
The Design of An Lanntair
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The new An Lanntair was designed by award-winning architects Nicoll Russell Studios of Dundee.
The exterior and interior design is very striking based around the concept of 'the lantern'. |
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The building itself will make a considerable civic contribution to the town, as well as providing greatly improved facilities for increased cinema, live performance and exhibition.
The project was made possible by a National Lottery Award from the Scottish Arts Council of £3,060,080 - one of the largest arts awards made in Scotland from National Lottery Funds.
The project was also supported by contributions from European Regional Development Fund, Western Isles Enterprise, and Western Isles Council.
Facilities at An Lanntair
The new An Lanntair comprises of an Art Gallery, 250-seat performance space, restaurant, bars and kitchens, community and art rooms together with administrative offices. There is also ancillary accommodation, dressing rooms and loading dock etc. attached to the main performance space. Facilities in the new venue include:
The Arts and entertainment
- Exhibitions
- Live events
- Cinema
- Workshops and education
- Shop
- Conferences
Food & relaxation all day till late
- Restaurant
- Café bar
- Special Functions
Theatre at An Lanntair
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Theatre at An Lanntair will commence with the big Traverse Autumn adventure, the latest production by Iain F MacLeod of his play 'I was a Beautiful Day'. |
The play has been commissioned by the Traverse to open the new An Lanntair arts centre in Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, who are turning their traditional tour on its head by premiering in the Highland & Islands before returning to Edinburgh. 'I was a Beautiful Day' will be performed at An Lanntair on Friday 7 and Saturday 8 October 2005.
Visual Arts at An Lanntair
| The exhibition opening at An Lanntair on 30 October is based on another building project on the other side of town. The redevelopment of Stornoway’s 19th Century 'Sail Loft' has been the subject of Creative Scotland awards winner Ian Stephen. Funded by the Highlands & Islands Preservation Trust he assembled a group of artists to engage with the past and purpose of this iconic building. |
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An Lanntair Director Roddy Murray said 'We chose this as our inaugural exhibition because it had to be a new body of work, be of the Gaidhealtachd and it had to test the new space. A show we couldn’t otherwise have had.'
Cinema at An Lanntair
The availability of conventional cinema projection introduces a new and exciting strand to the programming mix. Until now, Stornoway has been served on an irregular basis by travelling cinema.
The Royal National Mod (Am Mòd Naiseanta Rìoghail) at An Lanntair
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The National Mod was started by An Comunn Gàidhealach, founded in 1891 by a small group of Gaelic devotees. The group were concerned about the decline in the language and culture and recognised the need for a formal body to promote Gaelic. |
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An Comunn's early aim was to promote and preserve Gaelic in the arts, in local industry, and especially in education. Their motto is 'Ar Cànain 's Ar Cèol' - Our Language and Our Music.
The first Mod lasted one day, and consisted of only 10 competitions. Nowadays, the Mod lasts a week, and consists of over 130 competitions, including musical competitions for voice and traditional instruments, as well as the recitation and composition of prose and poetry.
The Mod takes place at a different venue each year, including Blairgowrie in 1996, Inverness in 1997 and the Isle of Skye in 1998. In 1992, the Mod achieved Royal status (Am Mòd Nàiseanta Rìoghail), and although it is still the main festival of Gaelic arts, there are also several local Mods which take place around the country. The Mod will be held at An Lanntair from 14 to 22 October 2005.
Artworks at An Lanntair
The opening of the new An Lanntair Arts Centre in October 2005 will be a major event celebrated by a light-work animation by local children in the Western Isles. It will illustrate Gaelic song and story using the transparent drum of the rotunda as a zoetrope/magic lantern. Moving images will be projected from within against back-projection blinds, transforming the building into a beacon and embodying An Lanntair’s vision. Illuminating and broadcasting children’s imagery from within is intended to send a signal from the outset that the building is a community facility - placing high value on the development of children’s imaginations.
The project will coincide both with Scotland’s premiere Gaelic festival, the Royal National Mod and the Big Draw Festival. This will increase the potential to bring the new building and the artwork to national attention.
The animations will be made in a series of five all-day workshops with schoolchildren and edited and installed for the Mod from 14 to 22 October 2005.
An Lanntair background
An Lanntair, an independent company registered as a charity, has a cultural remit for the whole of Stornoway and the Western Isles and provides a forum for local, national and international arts.
Previously based in the town hall at Stornoway, An Lanntair was established in 1984 by a group of artists and supporters who wished to exhibit work and provide a focus for artists in the Western Isles. An Lanntair will be a one-stop venue for entertainment, enjoyment and the arts.
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This is strategically a very important long term cultural development on the very western edge of Europe. |
An Lanntair will be a major new facility alongside the string of other arts centres in the western isles and Skye.
An Lanntair is one of the oldest arts organisations in the Western Isles. It was founded by a collective of artists almost 20 years ago. They were given upstairs premises in Stornoway Town Hall, which they converted for use as an art gallery and, soon after, for small scale performance. Initially operating on government training funding the gallery soon established sufficient artistic credibility to attract project, and then, revenue funding from the Scottish Arts Council and from Comhairle nan Eileann Siar.
The new mission and aspirations of An Lanntair are that: 'We will be a beacon for cultural activity in the Western Isles; we will encourage and celebrate creativity in all its forms; we will be a genuine centre for our community; we will represent and support Gaelic arts and culture.'
| It is hoped that An Lanntair will literally be a cornerstone for the regeneration of Stornoway and underpin the cultural infrastructure of the islands in the new millennium. |
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The availability of conventional cinema projection introduces a new and potentially exciting strand to the programming mix. Until now, Stornoway has been served on an irregular basis by travelling cinema.
The additional exhibition spaces will provide increased outlets for artists and craftsmakers from the Western Isles to display their work. Similarly, the new stage and associated facilities will allow a broader range of local and touring productions to come to the isle of Lewis, as well as giving the audience a more comfortable experience.
Within the Highlands and Islands, the new An Lanntair will be second only to Eden Court in Inverness, in it's range of professional facilities and will outstrip provision in many much larger Scottish towns. |