'The Bog Blanket' is a dance and puppetry solo inspired by the landscape and wildlife of the Flow Country in Caithness and Sutherland. Featuring original music by Quee MacArthur and an eclectic costume by eco-designer Mona Kastell, the solo was created & performed in Summer 2021 by Tain based dancer, Julia McGhee for What Moves You? project. Julia subsequently performed outdoors at WE Want Health Festival, Thurso (April 2022) and at Belladrum (July 2022). She will perform in Thurso at the Flow Country Research Conference in October 2022.

The engaging and absorbing performance explores the natural environment of the Flow Country: tussocky hummocks of grasses, heather and moss found in bog pools; the rivulets of water trickling through peatland; land shifting, changing and vibrating. Children and adults alike have given positive feedback, inspired by Julia’s physical interpretation of the natural elements to the poignant musical score. Conversation with audiences led to this proposed offer as an ideal opportunity to further embed learning and encourage curiosity about the peat bog lands. In researching the work, Julia has connected with Professor Roxane Anderson, research fellow at North Highland College UHI, who is leading a research project on bog breathing – or peatland surface motion – in order to monitor peatland condition and restoration. In the future, this research will have the potential to monitor carbon emissions.

Julia wants to bring “The Bog Blanket” to the Orkney Climate Festival to engage people through art which serves to highlight the crucial role Scotland’s peat bog lands play in capturing and storing carbon, as well as being important habitats for many rare species of wildlife.

Through presenting the 15-minute outdoor dance performance followed by a 30-minute community workshop, local people and visitors will explore the concept of ‘bog breathing’ with Julia, sparking conversations about the vital role the peat bog lands play in our climate.

Image credit: Brian Hartley