36 Views of Coquet Island, Northumberland

A collaborative arts project that celebrates the importance of Coquet Island has been launched on Substack, with plans to create a series of performances and exhibitions in the region.The project called 36 Views of Coquet Island comes from Amble writer Allan Sutherland, with local artists, writers, photographers, musicians and many others coming together to create the work.

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Allan’s inspiration for the project came while he studied Japanese language and culture during lockdown. He became immersed in the work of Japanese artist Hokusai and in particular his 36 Views of Mount Fuji.

On his Substack, Allan writes “On daily lockdown walks along the coastline, I gazed at the sea and wondered how 36 Views of Coquet Island might look – thinking of a View as being an idea, opinion or memory as much as a visual representation. Seeing it, while immersed in Japanese, helped me consider the island as being of equivalent importance to Fuji. It has a cultural, spiritual and visual significance for Amble and this part of the Northumberland coastline.”

Allan later suggested this idea to fellow creatives in Amble and the surrounding area, encouraging the collaborative work, which he is now bringing together via his blog and then to a wider audience at performances and exhibitions.

Sally Howarth's Blue Mannequin looking out at Coquet Island

Subscribing to Allan’s Substack is free. In this post: https://allansutherland.substack.com/p/36-views-of-mount-fuji-and-coquet Allan describes the inspirations behind Hokusai’s depictions of Mount Fuji, and how people can see more of the ’36 Views’ project.