Contents
- Defining Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH)
- Creative Scotland Support for ICH
- Case Studies
- Useful links
Defining Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH)
ICH refers to heritage that isn't buildings or objects, but instead lives in the traditions and practices passed down through communities. For example, the Common Ridings in the Scottish Border towns, ceilidh dancing, or traditional music across Scotland. Article 2 of the UNESCO Convention sets out a definition of ICH as follows:
“…the practices, representations, expressions, knowledge, skills – as well as the instruments, objects, artefacts and cultural spaces associated therewith – that communities, groups and, in some cases, individuals recognize as part of their cultural heritage. This intangible cultural heritage, transmitted from generation to generation, is constantly recreated by communities and groups in response to their environment, their interaction with nature and their history, and provides them with a sense of identity and continuity, thus promoting respect for cultural diversity and human creativity.” (UNESCO definition)”
Article 2 goes on to set out the five domains in which ICH manifests, as follows:
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Oral traditions and expressions; including local languages as the mode of expression
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Performing Arts
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Social practices, rituals and customs
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Knowledge and practices relating to nature or the universe
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Traditional Craftsmanship
Other language is sometimes used in the place of ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage/ ICH’ such as “living traditions/heritage/culture/folklore”, “public folklore”, or “ethnology”, and it is closely related to and intertwined with folk arts and traditional arts.
See TRACS’ Wee Guide to Intangible Cultural Heritage for more information.
Creative Scotland Support for ICH
Creative Scotland supports creative work that embeds, includes or develops ICH. Creative Scotland cannot support work which does not have a clear creative element, or work which is solely built or physical heritage, for example: building of dry stane dykes; replication of traditional woven baskets; or archiving of traditional stories.
Some projects may have partnership support which covers the heritage elements of the project however Creative Scotland should have a clear understanding of how ICH will be worked with in relation to the applicant’s approach, understanding and respect of the ICH elements.
Whilst an applicant does not need to be grounded in/ “of” a tradition to work with it, they must demonstrate a depth of understanding, and have engaged with relevant resources or experts.
It is possible to work with ICH in new creative contexts outwith the context that it would have originally been practised, but this must be done sensitively and in consultation with communities.
Key areas
There are some key areas that work engaging with ICH and supported by Creative Scotland should consider.
Creativity and Development
Applicants must engage with ICH creatively; involving creative processes or development.
Applicants must have a deep understand the context of the ICH they intend to work with and demonstrate a nuanced and sensitive approach to engaging with ICH which avoids cultural appropriation especially when engaging with cultures that are not the applicant’s own.
If work is not community led, then applicants must consult with experts such as those currently practising the ICH they intend to engage with.
Communities
Work engaging with ICH must allow communities to take part and engage with projects involving their own ICH, and recognise that ICH is culture which is deemed important by communities themselves and is not imposed by an institution or public body
Applicants must compensate communities for their time and knowledge if using their ICH either financially or through the development of a reciprocal relationship. Engaging with ICH has the potential to enhance community cohesion and personal value.
Creative Scotland commits to supporting ICH in Scotland, including the ICH of immigrant and refugee communities.
Case studies
This section provides examples of projects Creative Scotland has funded, which have engaged with ICH. These examples aim to offer insight into the kinds of ICH which fall within Creative Scotland’s remit, but they are not definitive.
People’s Parish – TRACS – Culture Collective
https://www.peoplesparish.scot/
The People’s Parish is an initiative that brings together artists and people in local communities to reflect on the places where they live. The starting point is the back story of the place. From place we connect community, local history, folklore (intangible cultural heritage) and creativity, making projects that reflect how communities see themselves and how they want to present themselves to the world. The intention is that, after working with an artist in the medium of their choice to make the creative work, communities’ contributions will be gathered together to give a people’s account of Scotland in the 21st century. By starting with the civil parish every locality is able to gain a clear picture of how its area has developed, and the issues involved in that development.
The most northerly – Moray - of the most recent People’s Parish projects, funded through the Culture Collective programme, was in Mortlach parish, the boundaries of which enclose Dufftown and its hinterland. As with all of the projects the artists in this case, Hamish Napier and David Francis, began by walking over the territory, diving into the local collection at the library, making contact with key people and local organisations, particularly the Development Association, the Hall Committee, and the local quarterly magazine, whose editor is passionate about the town and its heritage, tangible and intangible.
The artists worked with the community to develop events and activity that engaged with currently practised ICH and historic events. These included a community ceilidh, exhibitions of photos and maps, a variety concert, schools engagement and the collation of a Dufftown A-Z.
In conclusion, the texture of place – the townscape, the local economy, community groups, language, heritage, and creative endeavour – was the raw artistic material drawn on by artists and community working in collaboration to reflect on and celebrate Dufftown’s many assets.
Map of Stories – Transgressive North – Open Fund for Organisations
https://mapofstories.scot/about/
Scotland’s Map of Stories is an interactive online map which celebrates the diversity of Scottish oral storytelling traditions, and highlights stories that have deep roots within the landscapes they emerge from.
The stories gathered and placed on the map take multiple shapes and forms. Some stories arise from Scotland’s indigenous languages—from Gaelic or Scots—and from particular communities, whether those be Scottish traveller communities, or those amongst the many islands of Shetland.
Others, equally rich and provocative, come from the growing number of migrant and mixed-heritage traditions—from Iran, India, Kenya, Ireland, Wales—that comprise Scotland as a complex 21st Century nation.
Some stories are ancient folk tales that have been handed down from one teller to another and others are more contemporary: stories of personal experience, of local history, or stories the tellers have brought together and shaped themselves.
A' the way to Galloway - Jo Miller – Open Fund for Individuals
https://jomiller.bandcamp.com/album/a-the-way-to-galloway-2
https://www.jomiller.scot/projects/
A’ the way to Galloway is an album of songs and tunes from Galloway in South West Scotland.
Most tracks have a connection to the uplands of the Glenkens, having been learned directly from individuals, or drawn from historical sources. The album also includes Jo Miller’s own settings of two local poems, and two tunes recently composed for notable inhabitants of the district.
Jo Miller carried out fieldwork on traditions of music making in their home area of the Glenkens in the Galloway Uplands in the 1980s. Their recordings and photos are in the School of Scottish Studies Sound Archive and a selection can be found at Tobar an Dualchais/Kist o Riches.
"A' the way to Galloway" features a group of experienced instrumentalists and singers - Jo Miller, Amy Geddes, Robyn Stapleton, Neil Sutcliffe and Steve Sutcliffe - all of whom have close links to Galloway. The album also draws on Jo's acquaintance with older performance styles to convey the intimate contexts in which this music was often performed in the past.
A further stage of the project toured the music from the album in Galloway and beyond, with concerts including local guest musicians, and opportunities to participate in workshops.