TAKING THE HIGH ROAD
A bicycle tour of Scotland

In Summer 2022, I cycled through Scotland from John O'Groats to Berwick upon Tweed. I am interested in how landscape and travel can be portrayed on a static stage and so produced psycho-geographic set designs that collage photographs and media I picked up on the way that celebrate different aspects of Scottishness. The set designs are inspired by John Byrne's 1973 pop-up designs for ‘The Cheviot, the Stag and the Black, Black Oil,’ (below-right) based on John McGrath’s play about the Highlands. The set design is made like a pop-up book, which makes it easy to take on tour and an interactive storytelling device. I have also written a diary/log book which discusses some of the aspects of the trip that I have tried to embody in the set designs.

List of Designs:

1: John O'Groats to Dunbeath

2: Dunbeath to Brora

3: Dunrobin Castle Theatre presents Lord and Lady Machine Gun Kelly

4: Brora to Tain

5: Golspie Sock-Puppet Theatre presents Tam O'Shanter

6. Tain to Dingwall

7. The Viking Cruise Puppet theatre presents Rob Roy

8. Dingwall to Tomatin

9. Inverness from under the Kessock Bridge

10. Tomatin to Aviemore

11. The Aviemore Ring Cycle