INS PhD Candidate Chairs Book Launch Event and Presents at the SEDA Conference In September
UHI Institute for Northern Studies PhD candidate Niamh MacKenzie has a busy September, chairing a book event at 7pm-8pm September 3rd 2026 at The Protobello Bookshop to celebrate the book 'Craftland' by art historian and author James Fox and opening the Scottish Ecological Design Association on 18th September.
Niamh's PhD is titled 'Drystane Dyking: Understanding Cultural Significance and Developing Skills in Scottish Communities' and explores the cultural significance of drystone walling (drystane dyking). Drystane dyking is described by UNESCO as ‘the know-how related to making stone constructions by stacking stones upon each other, without using any other materials except sometimes dry soil.’ Framing traditional crafts as Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH), it explores how skills training can be provided to promote sustainable development in rural contexts whilst also acknowledging and celebrating the traditional knowledge attached to the craft.
The research will examine how UNESCO’s 2018 inscription of drystone walling as ICH impacts on its international perception and the potential consequences of the UK’s ratification of the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Spring 2024. Niamh’s research utilises various case studies throughout the Highlands and Islands whilst also drawing on examples from Ireland to provide valuable comparison. The research aims to assess how craftspeople can be better supported to create opportunities in drystane dyking for creativity, training, and tourism.
The first event, chaired by Niamh, is a 'Conversation with James Fox', which will take place at The Portobello Bookshop in Edinburgh on September 3rd, 2026, from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM. Since its release last year, James Fox's journey across the British Isles to catalogue and celebrate artisan and heritage crafts has generated significant excitement.
During the event, James will engage in a conversation with Niamh MacKenzie, who is researching the arts, craftsmanship, and traditional practices in the Highlands and Islands. This discussion promises to be both fascinating and insightful. After the talk, James will be signing books, and there will be plenty of time for audience questions. Attendees can participate in person or live stream the event. Please register through The Portbello Bookshop webpage.
The second event finds Niamh opening the Scottish Ecological Design Association titled 'Common Ground: Land, Buildings, Stories and the Care We Share' with a presentation titled 'Intangible Culture of Drystane Dyking' in which she discusses her research, which focuses on drystane dyking (dry stone walling) as a traditional craft and an evolving example of intangible cultural heritage. Her fieldwork has taken her to communities across the country to meet and work alongside craftspeople. Her interest in Scotland's living heritage spans performance and music, as well as traditional practices and craft.
For more on Niamh's research, see our blog.