JAMES WALSH is moved by a provocative and original take on the relationship between ecology and architecture, and a plea to work with, not against, the materials and minerals of our world
‘A futurology of fools’
That's how a supposedly politics-free vision of Scotland's future comes across, says CALUM BARNES
Abandoned open pit just below the summit of Ben Eagach in Perthsire
[Vincent van Zeijst/Creative Commons]
An immersive, participatory display by a queer Australian Aboriginal performer, and a rebellious unravelling of traditional Scottish dance
EWAN CAMERON witnesses a political farce that lacks a clear message
EWAN CAMERON picks out two fascinating music shows, fusing the Korean, and the Celtic, with the modern
BENJAMIN POTHIER suggests that Palaeolithic cave paintings in Spain point to the ceremonial use of hallucinogenic flora
The bard confirms that the right has a humour bypass, and replays the English Revolution on period instruments
Scotland 2070
by Ian Godden, Hillary Sillitoe and Dorothy Godden
(College Publications, £13.99)
SCOTLAND 2070 boldly proclaims on its cover that it is “an ambitious vision for Scotland’s future without the politics.”
Written by consultants to oil and engineering firms, the non-political caveat reveals itself to be a fatuous one as its authors bring a very particular class perspective to their vision. To them, climate apocalypse is not so much a crisis but an opportunity for capital accumulation.
This is not to suggest that none of the book’s proposals are of no value. Godden et al are correct to argue that Scotland’s landscape is severely underutilised. To reforest much of the land, with requisite ecological sensitivity, would not only create jobs but provide natural carbon capture to combat fossil fuel emissions.
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