Greenvoe tells of Orkneys unique story in a poetic manner. About change in rural island life, and how that change is resisted in a stoic and strong community on the edge.
Story telling is a vital part of the community.
Stories make us what we are, remind us of when we’re at our worst and our best.
Stories help us understand Culture. People interact with stories more than other mediums. In this Photo story tells the tale of changing island life.
In Greenvoe, a fictional island of Hellya remains unchanged for generations . . . until a new project starts to take place. Almost Orwellian in it’s nature. This ‘Operation Black Star’ threatens to change everything the islanders knew. Now for those acquainted with Orkney, its unique situation, it’s oil terminal on Flotta, all of this fiction may start to ring true. Orkney has always been at the route of change and remains so to this day. It is a U.K leader in renewables and archaeology. It boasts an important university that specializes in marine research. Many refer to Orkney as the start of the new, through sites such as Skara brae, which remain the oldest found to this day.
Reading Greenvoe I was struck by the main theme running throughout, The destruction of a rural community. It speaks of a changing way of life, with poetic and lyrical references, to older histories and Orcadian myths. There is a return to the rural, to the idea of the remote, as society gets increasingly hectic and confused, stories of a return to different way of life become more popular. Societies yearn for that sense of community that is rife in Orkney. Nature is part of everyday life in the islands. There are now more and more connections to the islands, through technology the post, the Internet have all got better.
When I hear islands described as remote or isolating, I find this difficult to understand, only someone who had made a fleeting visit would feel this way. With islands it’s the opposite it’s about connection, and community. I would not use the word remote, but mystery and story are what defines the people. Stoic and strong but not remote. The sea is a place of possibilities, a space for optimism for the future. These islands offered me the opportunity to meet the people who make their living from the land, from the sea, to delive into the modern aspects of life, to look at the outsiders who come here to escape.
Greenvoe. A modern day folk tale.
