Rocabarraigh
by Thomas Abercromby
Camera, Editor, Colourist and AV Install Technician
Rocabarraigh, a phantom island in Scottish Gaelic myth, will appear three times, the last being at the end of the world.
On the first of June 1997, Greenpeace climate activists landed on the tiny uninhabitable granite islet of Rockall in the Atlantic Ocean, situated over 200 miles from the nearest permanently inhabited place in North Uist. The landing was part of Greenpeace’s Atlantic Frontier Campaign, which campaigned to protect the surrounding seas from new oil drilling contracts. Six days into the 42-day occupation, a flag was raised on the islet, declaring Rockall the capital of The Global State of Waveland. Members of the public were then invited to request a certificate of citizenship, and in the following six months, more than 15,000 people applied to be citizens of this micronation. In light of this activism, the British Government dropped Rockall’s maritime boundary designation (EEZ), ending the UK’s attempt to issue new oil and gas exploration contracts in the area. The Global State of Waveland emphasised its conviction of protecting the environment even from a nation as powerful as Britain by playing them at their own game. In doing so, it revealed the absurdity of nationhood.
Using archival footage, performance, references to Celtic mythology and interviews between The Global State of Waveland activist Al Baker and Stop Cambo campaigner Lauren MacDonald, the film investigates the overlooked history of the islet’s status as the last territorial expanse of the British Empire and its subsequent occupation by climate activists in 1997. Abercromby’s work explores the relationship between imperialism, sovereignty and ecological collapse by bringing to the fore environmental activists’ efforts from our recent past while drawing links to the current climate emergency.
Trailer for Rocabarraigh as part of the eponymous exhibition at Market Gallery, Glasgow.
Install view of Rocabarraigh film in Rocabarraigh exhibition.
This was my first project with artist and curator Thomas Abercromby, and his first film work. The project was at once a collaborative effort but also a bit of a mentoring process; we shot the film together across a variety of locations in Scotland and I mentored him in some aspects of filmmaking that were new to him, including interview and editing techniques and file management. This worked really well for us as it meant he could do the bulk of the editing himself, and spend as much time as he likes thinking about how he wants to bring the content of the film together, and then near the end of the process we came together to finesse the edit and do the rest, the finishing and captioning. For the exhibition I assisted the Market Gallery team in installing the film, helping to carve the film into the unique aperture it was projected onto.
Rocabarraigh was supported by Creative Scotland, Cove Park, Market Gallery, Uist Film and Taigh Chearsabhagh.