Talk by Nicola Neate – A Tapestry of Connection (and Mild Panic)
Thursday 16 April 2026, 7.30pm, at Caenn na h-Àirigh, Scotvein, Grimsay, I stood up and did something that, a few weeks ago, I genuinely thought might not happen at all: I gave a presentation on my project A Tapestry of Connection.
First of all—thank you. Truly. To everyone who came along, listened, and engaged so generously. It meant a great deal. Special thanks to Sara for creating the poster and organising the evening so beautifully, and to Simon, who calmly wrangled the digital side of things and ensured that sound was, in fact, heard (never something to be taken for granted).
The talk itself began with a bit about my wider practice before moving into the winding journey of this project. And it has been a journey. One with unexpected turns, small triumphs, and at least one moment where I seriously considered emailing Creative Scotland to say, “Hello, I may have been wildly overambitious and everything is falling apart.”
But more on that later.
This project has been supported first by VACMA funding and then by Creative Scotland for this second phase, and I honestly don’t think I could have brought it to life without that support. It has allowed me to explore ideas of connection—between place, process, and people—in a way that has grown far beyond what I initially imagined.
A particularly important part of this has been working with two day care service users, who have been, in equal measure, fabulous and challenging (the best combination, really). Their work is at the heart of what comes next: I’ll be transforming elements of their artwork into photopolymer prints, which I’m very excited about.
In May, I’ll be attending a bookbinding workshop with Corinna Krause at Sollas Books, where I’ll be making concertina books that will bring together these prints—both theirs and mine. There’s something very satisfying about the idea of folding, layering, and physically connecting all these strands.
And connection really has been the thread running through everything. Through walking, making, collaborating. Through linking up with Lionacleit Day Care Centre, the Grimsay Community Association, and becoming part of Highland Print Studio in Inverness—which has opened the door to a wider and very supportive print community.
The project has also stretched beyond my immediate location. Sharing work online has allowed it to reach the mainland and beyond—like it has quietly grown its own set of tentacles (a slightly unsettling but accurate image). The connections keep extending, often in ways I couldn’t have planned.
Which brings me back to the mild panic.
Before attending Highland Print Studio, I ran into some fairly catastrophic technical problems. The kind that make you question all your life choices. There was a definite moment of “Well, this is it. I’ve broken everything. Time to write a very apologetic email explaining that the project has… dissolved.”
But somehow, things came back together. Not perfectly, not smoothly—but enough. And standing there giving the talk, hearing people respond to the work, I had a strong sense that all those threads I’ve been trying to tie together are beginning to hold.
So yes—there have been problems. Quite a few. But right now, I feel genuinely pleased with how things are going. And perhaps more importantly, I feel that the connections I’ve been building—slowly, sometimes chaotically—are starting to make sense.
Which is, after all, what this tapestry is about.
Nicola Neate 