An evening of poetry, images, music and dance from the Blue Salt Collective
Saturday 24 May 2008
Museum of Scottish Lighthouses, Fraserburgh [Venue 18]
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L to R: Mhairi Allan, Haworth Hodgkinson, Catriona Yule, Knotbrook Taylor
Photo by David Liddell
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As a venue, the Museum of Scottish Lighthouses in Fraserburgh has an air of cool
confidence within its stout walls and soaring roof, whilst the room itself with
its huge vertical surfaces and excellent acoustics, proved to be an imposing stage
for the Blue Salt Collective to perform upon. Supported by a canvas of projected
images, the members of the group each used their diverse talents and styles to paint
a richly layered piece of poetic theatre with a strong natural presence. Whilst
in some respects the lighting could have better served the performers, its subdued
level and the shadows produced by Mhairi Allan the dancer, in particular, enhanced
the mood created by the poets.
Haworth Hodgkinson's A Dozen Words for Fog and Stone to Ice were supported
by impressive use of his unusual and hypnotic music, whilst Damages came
to life when performed using the voices of all three poets.
Knotbrook Taylor's entertaining poems of naked swimmers, genetically confused dugongs
and lighthouses were neatly intertwined with the menacing Bar Shark and the
stormy White Horses in my Washing Machine; all delivered with an easy charm
and pin point clarity.
Catriona Yule's gentle personality and soulful voice fitted perfectly and amongst
other highlights, captivated us with the very moving Void; an image of Ground
Zero, the haunting Ivory and Baghdad Blog.
An engaging and memorable evening of poetry; performed by all three poets with passion,
humour and warmth.
Bernard Briggs
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