CELEBRATING SCOTLAND: A NATIONAL CULTURAL STRATEGY

Introduction

The Royal Society of Edinburgh is pleased to respond to the Scottish Executive Education Department’s consultation on Celebrating Scotland: A National Cultural Strategy. The RSE is Scotland’s premier Learned Society, comprising Fellows elected on the basis of their distinction, from the full range of academic disciplines, and from industry, commerce and the professions. This response has been compiled with the assistance of a number of Fellows from a variety of disciplines with an interest in this area.

General

Although some mention is made of resources other than those associated with the performing arts there is a tendency to overlook the importance of other aspects of culture. Culture needs to be seen in the broad sense of the term. The Scottish Enlightenment was a peak in Scotland’s cultural history because it was a period outstanding in practically all areas of intellectual activity.

The specific questions identified in the consultation document are addressed below:

What does culture mean to you?

Culture is a state of intellectual, artistic or social development. It is the sense of place and of community, whether at local, national or global level. Culture offers a sense of values, identity and a sense of enhanced perception and well-being. Culture should reflect the best aspects of a nation's aspirations.

The consultation document, however, lacks a clear vision of the place of the history of scientific, mathematical, medical, industrial and engineering progress and invention within Scottish culture. Modern philosophers of science recognise it as an intimately human kind of activity, fully influenced by the personalities and types of lives led by its protagonists. For example, of special relevance to Scottish achievement shown in the historical record are the Scottish Enlightenment period (e.g. Colin Mclaurin, Joseph Black, James Hutton, and Adam Smith); the mathematical physicists of the late C19 (e.g. William Thomson (Lord Kelvin), James Clerk Maxwell, and P.G. Tait); and the 19th and 20th century revolutions in physics, chemistry and biology and medicine (e.g. D’Arcy Thompson, Lister, and Boyd Orr). To-day Scotland is a place where some very advanced technologies are being developed and these are also part of cultural heritage in the making.

What should be the aims of a cultural strategy?

A successful strategy for Scotland must be cosmopolitan and outward-looking. It should ensure that the expression of culture, whether in built heritage, intellectual or artistic life is properly supported, and their development fostered for the future. Participation, whether as a producer or as a consumer, should also be encouraged.

A National Cultural Strategy will need to be reactive to the needs of the arts and artists, to be flexible, and to allow for natural growth in some areas and contraction in others. It should not permit the ossification of the arts in an historical mould, but take into account shifts in centres of creative excellence over time. A cultural policy must therefore be sensitive and reactive to those changes and never seek to be prescriptive and dogmatic.

How are these aims to be met? Do we have the right mechanisms and structures?

In terms of the mechanisms and structures, these issues are more fully addressed in "Creative Scotland. The Case for a National Cultural Strategy" published in September 1998 by the National Cultural Agencies. Given that there should be some degree of state sponsorship of the arts, the issues are ones of scale and form. In resourcing the arts, it should be recognised that the numbers actively contributing to the visual arts and crafts, music and drama, literature, film and television are proportionally large for a small country. An apt model for discussion is the situation in the Republic of Ireland where a ministry of culture is doing much to extend the range of artistic activity, to enhance its international profile and to increase its contribution to the national economy.

What should be the link between the National Institutions and National Performing Arts Companies and local authority provision?

There is scope for more effective integration between the organisations and bodies concerned. For example, the funding of local authority museums and galleries requires review. A number of local authority sponsored museum trusts throughout Scotland are in financial difficulty. At the moment the Scottish Executive is only responsible for the National Galleries and the Royal Museums. However, it could be argued that national resources should be used to support additional collections of mining, iron, ships and shipbuilding, which are central to Scotland’s history.

There would also be merit in improved central control over rare books held in local authority libraries. At the present time a number of nationally important books have been lost from these libraries. A National Cultural Strategy might be able to create an acquisitions policy, whereby particular libraries would receive subsidies to buy in specific areas (e.g. St. Andrews and the National Museum for decorative arts and the National Gallery for Renaissance Art). This would guarantee that scholars, researchers, and the wider audience interested in specific areas could find the major journals and texts somewhere in Scotland rather than being forced, as is currently the case, to travel to London or elsewhere to find their source material. A national catalogue, with a dedicated Website could provide an overview of the holdings and could be linked to the catalogues of collaborating institutions. A model for this might be the Staatsbibliotheken (state libraries) of the German Länder, whose specialist holdings are focused on different areas (Berlin for natural science, Hesse for biology, Bavaria for law etc.), which avoids duplication while making certain that all subjects are covered in depth somewhere in the system. Some of the libraries housed in Scotland’s stately homes (e.g. National Trust Properties) could be accommodated in such a model.

How can Scotland’s culture better exploit new technologies?

In the arts, the rapid spread of information technology can be significant both in promoting the artistic product and in assisting the artist. There is a need for venues to be equipped with the necessary equipment. For example, as we currently have acoustiguides for adults, and various kinds of sheets for children to fill out in galleries, we now envisage the development of software to include knowledge and appreciation of paintings in general and of specific images in particular.

For artists, it could mean wider dissemination of their work, particularly for writers, although there are copyright issues to be addressed. Too often even after a successful production, a playscript ceases to be in the public domain. Second productions are rare, for scripts are not easily accessible. There are some enlightened publishers who have brought out several worthwhile collections. There are, however, many more worthwhile scripts available for distribution. A "Scottish Plays" Website could be established and every new Scottish Play "registered" by title, dramatist, characters, synopsis. A second stage would be scanning in the full script which could be available, subject to copyright, on the Web for a fee. The administration of this could be undertaken by the Scottish Society of Playwrights. Such a scheme would make the talent of our playwrights available not only nationally but internationally.

Similarly, art collections, exhibition images and text could be issued on CD or on the internet, alongside educational programmes which link in with catalogue material. This could be orchestrated in order to encourage young people to visit the exhibitions themselves, and allow access by remote communities. It would be possible to collect examples of Art sites which are considered to be worthwhile - a sort of "WebArt Prize" site. That would have the dual advantage of attracting viewers who would otherwise not be willing to search for the gems that are there, and of encouraging "artists" of all sorts to submit material for inclusion in the Virtual National Gallery of Art. This would be particularly valuable in encouraging 'young' artists. Already, the development of SCRAN – the Scottish Cultural Resources Access Network - as a multimedia base for the study, teaching and appreciation of history and material culture in Scotland is providing an outstanding example of the use of new technologies to make some aspects of Scotland’s culture more widely available.

How can the arts and culture industries be better linked with the commercial creative industries to their mutual benefit?

The consultation document notes the arts’ usefulness as economic and social tools. Care must be taken lest artists are forced only to meet the criteria of Government policy. In terms of "the economic impact of the arts" and the role of the arts in "urban renewal", the success of Mahabharata, Pavarotti, et al. in Glasgow, was no doubt good for trade, but does not make Mahabharata a better or a worse piece of theatre. The arts may aid the economy, but that is not their primary purpose. Similarly, there should be caution in seeing the arts not so much as income generators but as tools to rectify anomalies of social exclusion, e.g. creative activities that either directly involve, or meet the needs of, the socially deprived. Such a policy may seem to be a more attractive philosophy, but ultimately the therapeutic value of art is incidental, not essential. The two philosophies derive from the same false premise, that art needs to be justified in terms other than its own.

How can Scotland’s creative output be better presented to the wider world?

A strength of the arts in Scotland is the accessibility of companies of international standing. Prime examples of this are the Edinburgh International Festival and, on a smaller scale, the Tramway in Glasgow. Sadly, our "balance of payments" on the import/export front is seriously askew. We import far more than we export and that is an unhealthy situation. As the Canadian director, Robert Lepage, put it, "A culture that does not export is a culture that is doomed to disappear". There have been some notable exceptions, but in 1996, the number of theatre performances by Scottish companies given outside the British Isles amounted to only thirty-one. There is a highly exportable product in most artforms but neither the money nor the will to take it abroad. Perhaps the Scottish Arts Council should reconsider its policy of funding overseas work to come in, but not Scottish art to go out.

An initiative to address this paucity of theatrical exports has been proposed by the Federation of Scottish Theatres, through the establishment of an International Work Fund, "to enable theatre practitioners actively to promote their work for export to international markets". The Federation suggests that this might be achieved by mounting a showcase for international promoters at the Edinburgh International Festival, by providing funds for re-mounting work for which there is an international demand and by facilitating international co-productions. This kind of support would establish Scotland as a culturally vibrant nation on the international stage.

There is currently no comprehensive collection of 20th Century Scottish Art in Scotland and if Scotland does not create one, no other country is likely to. While the diploma collection of the Royal Scottish Academy contains a work by every elected member since its establishment, there is no central and comprehensive collection of contemporary Scottish art. Other countries, such as Italy, Denmark and France have excellent collections on public view of 20th century national artists.

How can Scotland’s culture enrich our education system?

Education has a key role to play in any consideration of cultural strategy. Schools need to be encouraged and supported in introducing children to Scottish history, Scottish literature, language and other cultural matters which can enrich their lives. Future audiences for the performing arts and readers of books should be introduced to these resources at school. The present concentration on basic skills should not and need not be at the expense of, for instance, music and art. Cultural input can enrich education by being part of the recognised curriculum. For example, geometry, maths, design and culture can all be taught by using a building as the vehicle for learning.

How can a wider audience be gained?

The challenge is to devise "a double-strategy" that is responsive to initiatives and innovation while preserving the highest artistic standards in the established artforms. Such a balance, however, cannot be achieved by a dirigiste cultural strategy. A potential occupational hazard of cultural policy makers is that they tend to down grade the continuous contribution of the artists who are the principal promoters of innovation. Much of this innovative work in recent times has broken down traditional barriers between artforms and has actively promoted the incorporation of "popular" cultural references within "established" forms, e.g. multi-media productions, site-specific performances, dramatisation of "youth cult" novels.

The accessibility of any cultural event is determined, as Pierre Bourdieu put it, by "economic capital" or "what you earn" and on "cultural capital" or "what you know". The "young" audience sought for opera, ballet and classical music may have neither. The solution is achieved not by seeking to change the product but by seeking to improve the "capital", by increased subsidy and by education. This education must begin in the primary schools, and the promotion of a study of the visual and performing arts and of literature in the school curriculum is an essential first step. The study of the creative arts should be strengthened and include a serious commitment to acquiring knowledge and understanding of Scotland’s artistic achievements.

While "competencies" can be improved and accessibility promoted, it must be recognised as Utopian to seek to popularise the avant garde. The Scottish Executive should also not be afraid of charges of "elitism". Many important art forms have always been enjoyed by a minority, but should nevertheless be preserved and properly supported.

What special emphasis should be given to indigenous elements whether Gaelic or Scots?

Equal, rather than special, emphasis should be given to indigenous elements. The main task in literaryachievement is simple, expressive and yet precise writing.

Additional Information

In responding to this inquiry the Society would like to draw attention to the following Royal Society of Edinburgh responses which are of relevance to this subject: Scottish Arts in the 21st Century (January 1999) and The School Curriculum and the Culture of Scotland (April 1999).

Further information is available from the Research Officer, Dr Marc Rands