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Over Lunan: Stunning artistic night-time spectacle casts Angus beach in new light

Over Lunan is staged on the dunes of Lunan Bay. Pic: Al Smith.
Over Lunan is staged on the dunes of Lunan Bay. Pic: Al Smith.

Lunan Bay’s spectacular sands are being enjoyed by visitors in a way like never before.

Dunes which usually draw thousands of day-time visitors when the mercury rises are currently the setting for a stunning artistic event as darkness falls.

Over Lunan is the culmination of a project which has taken the creative team behind the project on a 3,000-year journey from the expanse of the Angus beauty spot to the ancient world of Mesopotamia.

The event takes the audience across the sands of Angus beauty spot. Pic: Al Smith.

It was commissioned by Angus cultural hub Hospitalfield and Arbroath 2020+1 as part of the Covid-delayed celebrations around the 700th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Arbroath.

Organisers had to postpone the event three times due to the pandemic.

Over Lunan was created by Angus Farquhar, creative director of social action and arts organisation Aproxima Arts.

The open-air production blends an atmospheric ambisonic sound installation and live music with elements of public memorial.

An evening audience of just 50 work their way across the magnificent setting.

Atmospheric setting

Angus said he “completely fell in love” with Lunan Bay after arriving there to explore the setting for the piece.

Despite growing up in Aberdeenshire, he had never been to the popular beach between Montrose and Arbroath and was thrilled to discover the opportunity it presented to stage the work.

Angus Farquhar, creative director of Aproxima Arts.

Over Lunan explores tales connected in some way by the sea, from local history to the modern-day plight of people fleeing conflict in Syria.

The audiences are also being captivated by ancient Mesopotamian myths around floods which gave rise to stories of the Apkallu.

Half-fish and half-human, the sages who emerged from the sea to bring wisdom to our ancestors, living in what became known as the ‘cradle of civilisation’ roam the sands during the promenade performance.

Over Lunan runs until September 19.

The event is presented in celebration of Scotland’s Year of Coasts and Waters 20/21 and supported by the Scottish Government, EventScotland, Creative Scotland, the William Grant Foundation and the Garfield Weston Foundation.

The innovative production in the darkness of late Angus summer is a departure from Lunan Bay’s usual magnetic attraction.

Thousands of people head there in sunny weather and the popularity of the beach has led to the formation of a successful community partnership to try to make the area somewhere locals and visitors can enjoy.

Lunan Bay Communities Partnership has just celebrated its first anniversary after being set up to try to tackle problems including traffic chaos and so-called dirty camping.

They peaked during the pandemic as people headed to the area when lockdown restrictions eased.

The group secured funding earlier this year to employ summer rangers to help inform and educate people around being responsible visitors.