Delegates from around the world will this week immerse themselves in 'invisible' aspects of Scottish culture as part of an international symposium hosted by the University of Dundee.
'Invisible Scotland' will see invited speakers and tour guides from various disciplines present material concerning lesser-known aspects of Scottish culture that most visitors will never see or learn about.
These include aspects of oral tradition, musical ballads, personal narratives, traces of vanished communities, case studies and first-hand exploration of woodlands, plants, watersheds, moorlands, coastal villages, historic ruins, and live performances. The purpose is to encourage researchers to undertake future collaborative projects stimulated by the symposium programme.
The symposium takes place from August 1st-4th. In addition to an academic conference exploring these themes at the University's Dalhousie Building, participants will be able to choose from five field trips exploring Dundee and the surrounding area as well as Scotland's gardens, woodlands, mountains and wetlands.
The event is being organised by Mary Modeen from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, part of the University. She says that the delegates will comprise artists, architects, curators, geographers, writers, historians, performers and practitioners.
'Collaborations and a rich on-going discourse will be a lasting result of this exploration of Scotland,' she said. 'Importantly, Scotland itself will be the focus of close investigation by place-based researchers with the aim of expanding future research about Scotland. The symposium will see two days of presentations and performances take place in Dundee, as well as two days of external seminars that will be held in a choice of several guided trips.
'Participants will not only hear about 'invisible' traces in the countryside, city, island or community, but they will also visit these important places for themselves. The audience will comprise invited researchers from three separate research networks, with the aim of promoting new collaborations concerning Scottish land and culture.'
A book documenting the event will be produced, with each participant contributing images and/or text to it. More information about Invisible Scotland can be found at www.uwe.ac.uk/sca/research/place/iscotflash.htm.