A constantly shifting kaleidoscope celebrating 100 years of Duncansby lighthouse
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It was stunning, it was spectacular, it was surreal. A constantly shifting kaleidoscope of imagery celebrating the centenary of Duncansby Head lighthouse, using the lighthouse itself as a backdrop.
One minute the vibrant colours of the aurora danced across the sturdy white walls of the square tower and its adjacent buildings. Next the jagged silhouettes of the Duncansby Stacks. Amid footage of restless waves, an orca came swimming by for a few seconds. There were fleeting glimpses of seafaring men from past generations, captured in old film clips. Powerful beams crisscrossing at sharp angles, like wartime searchlights, cut their way through the starry sky and up into the heavens.
Then the lighthouse came alive again with a procession of portraits of some of the people of John O'Groats today. Those faces, some young, some old and many in between, sent an unmistakable message that this special occasion was about much more than just a 100-year-old beacon for mariners – it was about a whole community.
The dazzling visual display had a soundscape accompaniment featuring children's voices and lightkeepers' reminiscences, available through individual headsets handed out to everyone who was lucky enough to be there.
The immersive film, sound and lighting installation Duncansby Light at Night was put together by Lyth Arts Centre (LAC) as the centrepiece of the three-day Duncansby lighthouse centenary festival running from March 15-17. The LAC team had been out filming on location and working with primary schools to create sea-themed content.
All those involved deserve great credit. They have earned their moment in the spotlight. It was mesmerising and magical, and it may even have outshone the LAC Northern Lights Festival in 2021 which featured a series of outdoor projections around Wick harbour.
I had always been wary of the adjective "immersive" in the context of arts events, as it seemed slightly overblown and jargony. But I shouldn't have doubted it. For the best part of half an hour, on a cold March night on a cliff-top on the north-eastern extremity of the UK mainland, we were indeed immersed in sound and vision and sheer creativity.
The festival programme includes talks, workshops, poetry, music and a drawing competition – and, as was emphasised at the launch event in Café Groats on Friday evening, it is being supported enthusiastically by the John O'Groats business community, including the brewery and the distillery.
Duncansby Light at Night will run again on Saturday and Sunday evenings, from 7pm to 9pm. Spaces are limited so booking is essential at www.lytharts.org.uk
Parts of the light show are also being projected onto the Inn at John O'Groats.
Out on the headland, with the centenary installation in full flow, I found myself thinking back to the original keepers on duty on March 15, 1924, when the Duncansby light shone out across the Pentland Firth for the first time. What would they have made of it all?
For those of us in the here and now, it was an inspired way to bring past and present together.
Buses had been laid on to take us the couple of miles from the village to the lighthouse. I was sitting beside Mike Bullock, chief executive of the Northern Lighthouse Board.
On the journey back, I asked Mike to sum up his thoughts on what we had just seen.
"It was amazing and personal and it just brought the whole thing to life," he told me without hesitation. "It literally was a canvas which so many put their stories on. It was the story of the century.
"What I thought was really nice was bringing it right up to date with the people of John O'Groats today. That made it relevant to them.
"Although it's an unmanned lighthouse, it has a life to it."
- The programme of events and activities is the result of a collaboration between Lyth Arts Centre, John O’Groats Development Trust, John O’Groats Book Festival, Northern Lighthouse Board and John O’Groats businesses. Financial support has been provided by Creative Scotland, Historic Environment Scotland, the Northern Lighthouse Board, Scottish Book Trust, North Highland Initiative and Foundation Scotland.
- More coverage to follow
