Margaret Tait: Poetry and Experimental Film

This research project explores the work of the Orcadian filmmaker, artist and poet, Margaret Tait. Tait stands out as one of the few women filmmakers in Scotland. Furthermore, she is increasingly recognised as a pioneer in the area of experimental film. Originally trained as a GP and serving in the RAMC in the Far East, Tait later studied filmmaking in Rome in the 1960s. Her main body of work consists largely of short experimental films and she made one feature, Blue Black Permanent, in 1993. She was also an accomplished writer, publishing three books of poetry and two collections of short stories and there is also a great deal of unpublished material in her extensive archive (located in Kirkwall).

Tait was a truly independent filmmaker. She established her own film company and self-financed most of her productions. Her work stretches across an impressive range of styles (e.g. hand-painted animations, film poetry or observational portraits of her immediate surroundings). Yet throughout her lifetime, Tait's work remained relatively unknown and although championed in avant-garde filmmaking circles, her films are scarcely given adequate attention in studies of Scottish cinema. For instance, Duncan Petrie's seminal book on Scottish Cinema dedicates little more than a paragraph to Tait.

In the past six years the researcher has spent a great deal of time researching Tait. Two small research grants from Carnegie have made this possible (both £2000 app., one currently active). The initial research into the archive materials was conducted in 2006 and was wholly supported by a small research grant from the Carnegie Trust. The research resulted in a number of public events, conference papers, three book chapters and a journal article.

This research project aims to readdress the historical oversight of Tait's work by engaging with the rich archival resources related to the filmmaker's work, producing a book-length study of the filmmaker and an edited collection of Tait's poetry and various writings. Furthermore, the project will ensure the preservation of additional papers and ephemera currently held by the filmmakers husband, Alex Pirie. This will include the digitization of a number of recorded readings of Tait's poetry. A number of interviews with key supporters of Tait's filmmaking will also be conducted.

Economic:

Related economic benefits for the project are likely to include increased tourism to Orkney particularly in relation to the Pier Arts Centre and the Orkney archive. As part of the dissemination of research, a major exhibition of Tait's film work will be organized alongside a number of presentations/discussions of her work for the Pier Arts Centre, as part of the international St Magnus Festival. This would take place in June 2012.

The deposit of Tait's papers in the Orkney archive has already attracted a number of visitors to Kirkwall and it is likely to expect that additional material deposited in the archive would further enrich its attractiveness as a resource. A recent discovery of several cans of film in Tait's house was made and plans are in place to deposit this with the Pier Arts Centre, who are planning to develop film exhibition facilities on site. At present they exhibit Tait's films through DVD playback on a flat screen television in the gallery space. Scottish Screen Archive and Lux would also benefit from heightened interest in her films and demand for screening of her work. It is also hoped that money accrued from the printing or publication of her film, literature, artwork, or otherwise, would go towards an award established to encourage experimental filmmaking in Scotland. This is still in the consideration stages but it may be that the money goes towards the recent 'Margaret Tait' award (£10000) established by the Scottish Arts Council, Scottish Screen and Lux.

Social, Cultural:

The importance of the recognition of Tait's literary and artistic achievements is considerable in terms of Scotland's, but also the UK's cultural heritage. Tait's increasing visibility is most often propagated by contemporary artists. She is an important figure historically but she is also important to recent developments in moving image culture. She was, as Ali Smith has written, 'a clear forerunner of the English experimental directors of the late 20th century. A clear example of, and pioneer of, the poetic tradition, the experimental tradition, the democratic tradition, in the best of risk-taking Scottish cinema.' It is no surprise that at a time when the framework for production and distribution of moving image work is changing at a rapid pace and divisions between gallery space and cinema space are becoming increasingly blurred, that Tait should come foreword as a champion for a new generation of filmmakers. It is therefore crucial at this particular juncture in time that the work of such an exceptionally independent and creative filmmaker be preserved in the best manner possible. It is most fortunate that this particular filmmaker kept an unprecedented level of documentation regarding her work. Copies of letters sent and received exist alongside detailed diaries depicting her daily meetings and activities. The overall collection depicts the life of an extraordinary filmmaker and her struggles producing films at the 'periphery' of experimental filmmaking culture, but also paints a vivid portrait of filmmaking in Britain in the 20th century.