The Other Side of Air

The Other Side of Air is a project that imaginatively and creatively involved over 2000 people in the Scottish Highlands with a sequence of fascinating artists' installations and related community-generated artwork produced over an 18 month period.  Whilst not an IOTA project as such, it was borne out of initial ideas during Imagining the Centre in 2006 and the Project Director was IOTA Commissions Manager, Susan Christie.

Inspired by the churches along the river in Inverness during the Highland Year of Culture in 2007, this unusual and strangely powerful project actively embraced the thoughts and experiences of hundreds of children, diverse communities and church congregations.  The three main artists who completed residences during 2007 and 2008 - Geoff Broadway, Karen Rann & Del Whitticase - were, in different ways, deeply affected by relationships and drew on interactions to look at faith and belief. 

Each artist immersed him or herself in a specific community and area of the city, exploring perceptions and current thinking about belief.  Using sound, sculpture and/or light, the practitioners gave form to their responses and focused on many challenging issues.  Transforming a number of non-gallery environments with captivating soundscapes, photography, projection and sculpture, The Other Side of Air installations enchanted and challenged the public in equal measure.

From the dilemma of whether to wear the veil or not, to appreciating small acts of kindness, there are many aspects of human experience that are represented in the resulting artworks which are shown in the film excerpt on this page.  The soundtrack by Calamateur (Andrew Howie) adds an ambient and evocative rhythm reinforcing the otherworldly quality of the artists' installations.