A NEW arts festival is to focus on the far north of Scotland as part of the Year of Coasts and Waters.

Northern Lights will celebrate the coastline of Caithness with film screenings, exhibitions, performances, talks, a free series of outdoor projections and a showcase of local, sustainable food.

“More than ever people are looking to celebrate their local landscapes and come together as a community. Northern Lights Festival is really a chance to shine a light on this most beautiful corner of Scotland,” said co-director Charlotte Mountford.

A light and projection installation at Wick Harbour will feature old former salt stores of the herring boom, modern-day oil tanks, the iconic lighthouse and the historic herring mart.

Performances at the festivals will include Caithness makar George Gunn reading from his new collection Between Two Beaches; singer, songwriter and “cultural crofter” Nancy Nicolson, and Culture Collective artist-in-residence Sinéad Hargan who will present a participatory, audio performance aimed at taking audiences on a journey of appreciation and reflection of the sea.

A series of online talks and events includes the director of Seawatch Foundation Dr Peter Evans, while Chris Aitken of Caithness Broch Project will look at whether the Iron Age inhabitants of Keiss broch were cannibals.

Shetland poet Roseanne Watt will read from her award-winning collection, Moder Dy/Mother Wave, and Lyth Arts Centre associate artists Morna Young and Catriona Lexy-Campbell will discuss their new play Salt Quines, inspired by the east-coast herring girls.

The film programme will include a programme of ocean-inspired films including Launch! On The Sea With Scotland’s Lifeboats, which dives into archive film and videos of RNLI crews and communities, accompanied by an immersive soundtrack from some of the UK’s best contemporary musicians.

Shore Short Film Night will see an evening of short films inspired by the sea, featuring new Scottish documentary and international animation. A series of family-friendly workshops and crafts which celebrate the sea will take place throughout the October half-term festival, including nautical themed drawing and sea-watching around Wick Bay.

In addition, Vision Mechanics 10m tall mythical goddess of the sea, Storm, will appear at Wick harbour on October 11 as part of her tour around Scotland, accompanied by a soundscape created by the pioneering Scottish folk singer Mairi Campbell.

Northern Lights Festival takes place from October 8-16. https://lytharts.org.uk/northern-lights-festival/