Intangible Cultural Heritage or ‘living heritage’ - is an area of growing global significance. It is an acknowledgement that heritage is not just monuments and objects that have been placed in a museum - it is part of our culture in the present day and involves elements that are passed down between generations and taken with us into the future. The Outer Hebrides has a rich resource of intangible cultural heritage including language, traditions, rituals, songs, crafts and much more. This living heritage might not have a fixed shape, but is vital to understanding our places and making sense of who we are.
This workshop is one of three community conversation events across Lewis and Harris to better understand what people value about for the islands’ intangible heritage, and explore how public bodies might improve support for living heritage. The aim of these workshops is to develop guidance that will support and benefit communities and practitioners in the here and now, and to help safeguard Intangible Cultural Heritage for the future. Everyone is welcome, whether you are actively involved in intangible culture or just have an interest – no prior knowledge or expertise is required! We hope you will join us to discuss your experiences, insights, and ideas.
The Workshops
The workshops take place in various locations in the Outer Hebrides.
In the workshops, we will discuss examples of Intangible Cultural Heritage from the islands and across the world, and how this living heritage is protected, shared, and celebrated for the benefit of local communities. We will also explore how we can improve the ways we work together to protect and promote local heritage practices.
These workshops are being led by Historic Environment Scotland and the University of the West of Scotland, with funding from the British Academy Early Career Researcher Network. There will be opportunities on the day for one-to-one discussions with our Head of Grants for anyone who would like to explore funding for living heritage projects, and we will also be joined by staff from Creative Scotland.
Lunch and refreshments will be included.
An online event is currently under consideration, please contact us at gaidhlig@hes.scot if you would be interested in attending.
Travel and Expenses
Funding is available to residents of the Outer Hebrides to support travel expenses and/or any costs incurred in covering caring responsibilities to permit attendance on the day. Please contact us for more information at gaidhlig@hes.scot