Again this year Orkney took part in the Doors Open Days. Scotland’s biggest free festival of architecture presented its largest ever digital offering in September, as we celebrated Scotland’s buildings and stories online, through tours, lectures, DIY learning events and more. In response to current concerns surrounding COVID-19 Doors Open Days 2020 was digital so that people across Scotland and the world can continue to safely explore Scotland’s buildings, spaces and places. This year we had 17 participants which is the largest number of Doors Open participants from Orkney.

"The Covid-19 pandemic struck the UK in late 2019 and increased to the extent that the country was put into lockdown by late March 2020. The 2020 Orkney Storytelling Festival had already booked the storytellers Anne Hunter and Mio Shudo as our guests and hired venues. It was agreed that we would wait to see how things would develop with Covid, but by the late summer it looked like things...

"As an Orkney based illustrator and papercut artist, I am constantly inspired by my surroundings to design and produce work that reflects the spirit of the island and its inhabitants. My designs tell a story, expressed through the delicate and bold nature of papercutting. Each piece is hand cut with a scalpel to reveal the fastidious detail within the design."

Award given to enrol on an online course, 'Advanced Character Design' with Stephen Silver. The aim was to develop and improve illustration skill set.

"The course was very useful in exposing some of the hitherto unknown bad habits I have picked up [...] and while it was sometimes difficult to take on board (!) it was a real eye-opener and has fundamentally made me a better designer."

Martin Laird is an artist and animator from Orkney, working in both traditional and digital media. He says his work is primarily concerned with his own cultural identity as both an Orcadian and a Scot – adding that he is motivated by “a sense of social conscience and concern for the future.”

Martin received a VACMA grant in 2020-21 and says it has helped him take advantage of recent advances in computer animation.